In the Path of Prophecy
by AncientDoom
Summary: The manipulation, the schemes, and the waiting is over. The evil is revealed and all that is left to do is pray because the Sith Emperor is not taking prisoners. He is done playing games. Valkorian extends his formal invitation, and it would be rude for them to refuse. Season -3- of 'In the Path of'. Rated -T- for -cursing- and -very morbid, dark, bloody imagery- Galen/Ashoka
1. Prologue - Ahsoka and Varus

**DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE PREVIOUS ONES! This is part of a series:**

 **Part 1: In the Path of Revan**

 **Part 2: In the Path of the Ravager**

 **Part 3: In the Path of Keepers**

 **This story takes place a few years after In the Path of Keepers.**

* * *

 **I have started a Discord Channel! From here I can engage with my readers, discuss my stories, and you can read my stuff and offer feedback before I release it to the general public!**

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* * *

 **Prologue - Ahsoka/Varus**

* * *

"You know how hard it is to keep a secret when you have a hard time keeping your mouth shut?" Ahsoka complained.

"Hard." Padme offered.

"Hard. Now imagine trying to keep a secret while the person you want to keep the secret from is tied in to your emotions and thoughts. Yeah… it gets kinda hard. Now, granted, it has been quite some time. We have developed the bond to the point that we only share what we want shared. The rest is just empty noise. Technically I can hear every thought, and in the same way he can as well with me, but we have decided to make the thoughts we specifically want to transmit on purpose are much more emphatic and understandable in comparison to the rest. There is just… too much to really dig through. People don't actually realize just how much of your thought pattern is utter illogical gibberish and noise until you have to start taming it."

"Sounds complicated." Padme said emptily. In truth she already knew this. The couple had been relying on her, and so she got to understand what it was like indepth. All the same, she just allowed Ahsoka to vent her frustration. She placed a set of dirty dishes into the cleaner and shut the drawer. The machine turned on and in seconds all her dishes were sanitized.

"He's keeping secrets from me…" Ahsoka whispered.

Padme shushed her. Her focus was on the cleaner. Like she wanted, the next cycle sprayed a layer of liquid on the dishes that made them shiny. Padme opened it and pulled one out to find it had some kind of black powder on it. The powder residue was easy to lift with her finger. "Why does this keep happening?"

"You are not listening to me."

"No, I am listening, but you have to realize that it is normal." Padme slammed the door shut again. She had more pressing matters. "Couples have their secrets, Ahsoka. Just because you and Varus are tied on the mental level doesn't make that any less true. You can't be a completely open book or it is just boring. There has to be a little mystery. A little excitement. A little guessing to ask yourself what will he do next to excite you. Enough wiggle room for him to do something unexpected."

As she spoke, Padme passed the lounge room to her own room to select a dress. There was a big family gathering coming up. Darth Plageus had moved his entire planet to a system nearby for ease of transport. (Scared the New Republic into mobilizing half of its fleet in the process, much to Son's amusement.) Ever since returning to Naboo, the times when the family could get together had lessened over time, and it didn't get any better with Ani traveling the galaxy preaching to the Jedi sects. The Skywalker family would have its little get-together, and how could she neglect Ahsoka (who had no family of her own and was practically one of them) and Varus (same)? With Varus attending, Koj'Ineh and Cahjinawl were returning from their work with the Rebel Alliance to attend as well. Then, of course, Ani had to invite Obi-Wan.

It had been rough enough having Varus and Obi-Wan under the same roof, now they were going to be exposing the older man to Ani's family. This would be fun.

Originally Padme wanted to host the dinner and show Skywalker's family the kind of home he had gained of his own merits, and with her in his life, but between the number of people coming, the powder on all the dishes, and a whole slew of other things not going right, she changed her mind. Thankfully she hadn't made arrangements to begin with, so no harm done.

"Well him cheating on me is certainly unexpected."

Padme slid to a halt and turned to look Ahsoka dead in the eye. "What?"

Ahsoka shrugged. She didn't look hurt, more unsure of herself. Okay. Padme concluded that Ahsoka didn't have actual facts, just speculation. Otherwise, knowing Ahsoka, she would have beaten her boyfriend within an inch of his life and left him to rot.

"Ahsoka, what makes you think he is cheating on you?" Padme asked. She tried to focus on changing into her dress, but Ahsoka's sudden choice in topic kept her attention.

"Well, its just…" Ahsoka sighed. "He has never purposefully tried to keep secrets from me."

"You mean like all the other times? Where, which I might add, so far as I know, he fessed up."

Ahsoka shook her head. "I know what you may be thinking, but… he is avoiding me. He has this feeling of guilt in him lately. He can't look me in the eye when I do see him. When I wanted to go to this place, which granted, is more expensive than we usually go, since we usually just go to places that are a bit on the cheap side, he declined because he was strapped for money."

Padme found that odd. "He never spends money. He isn't the kind of person to even want things." Good food notwithstanding. Ninety-percent of his expenses was just paying rent in her home!

"Exactly!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "When I asked him where his money went, he got all nervous and said he spent it on me."

"And you have no knowledge of him spending anything on you?"

"No gifts, nothing that expensive on our dates to explain it. I mean, he does give me things, but it is mostly cheap items he knows I have a sentiment for."

"So you assume he is lying?"

"I don't know…" Ahsoka sighed. Padme could see the stress pouring off her. "That was when the guilt really hit him, and he started avoiding me."

Padme watched her freak out inside and considered them. She knew Varus. She knew Ahsoka. It wasn't adding up. It wasn't like them. Something else was going on, but she couldn't say what. "Look… Ahsoka. It comes down to this, how does he feel about you?"

Ahsoka gulped and took a moment to compose herself. "He believes he isn't good enough and he loves me."

"Then at this exact moment, that is all you need. Now, if he goes to you and wants to have a serious talk or confess something I would be worried. Until then, just remember what you just said. Now… focus. We need to leave soon and you came over to have me help you into the dress, not to mourn something that isn't lost."

* * *

"You're an idiot." Mustachio, aka Obi-Wan, says down at me.

I glower up at him, "Thanks, Mustachio. What do you think, Tree-Hugger?"

"I agree with Mustachio. You're an idiot."

I sigh and put my head in my hands. "Yeah, I get it. I screwed up."

"Not just a little screwed up, big screwed up." Tree-Hugger puts his hands apart for emphasis. "I mean… I thought you had more sense than that. He can't get a refund, can me?" He poses the question to Mustachio.

"Nope." Mustachio answers.

Tree-Hugger pinches his nose in frustration. "Lovely. So you had to go and feel adventurous! Look, Varus… You should have just gone to me. Even Obi would have been able to lead you in the right direction! I mean, didn't you have any idea what kind of establishment you were walking into!?"

"It was my problem!" I exclaim.

"And how has that worked out?"

I glower to the side. They must feel so big of themselves to just be pounding on me. The two men have a collective sigh. "I'm just gonna have to do it and let my wonderful personality win me over." I decide.

Tree-hugger says, "I appreciate the timing of it and all, but I really have my doubts. I think you should wait a while, get more in control of where you stand, and then lay it on her."

"No, I… it feels right."

"Look…" Tree-Hugger tries. "You in this stage of your relationship had one job. Just one job, and you managed to botch that. What you need right now is time."

"Speaking of time." Mustachio elbows Tree-Hugger and nods in the direction down the street. We are at the port waiting for the girls. I look over and am left stunned. Cyborg-Hugger looks beautiful, as always. She has this mature beauty to her and calmness. Her choices in dresses are a bit overly… there is just too much stuff to it. And her hair style when she thinks its dressy just makes me want to giggle. Still, she is beautiful, but the one who really catches my eye is Ahsoka. Its just a simple green dress. Nothing really to it. But it works well with the natural red-tint of her skin and emphasis her features. She looks warm and inviting and…

Oh, yeah. I'm in trouble.

Suddenly I really want to get moving, and I get on the transport.

* * *

Padme checked in on the others, and noted how the only one avoiding them was, of course, Varus. The kids were with him, but she concluded this him avoiding them wasn't natural. Ahsoka had the dress picked out for him. Not only because he liked green the most, but because green naturally worked well with red, such as Ahsoka's skin, and the simplicity of it was a beauty of its own. Padme saw the yearning in his eyes when he first saw them, but then just as quickly he shut himself out and hid.

The other occupants were around the shuttle waiting patiently for the several-hour ride to end.

She returned to the bridge and sat in the co-pilot seat. "Varus is avoiding Ahsoka."

"I noticed." Tree-Hugger muttered. He hit a few keys and leaned back. He looked to her. "I thought for sure he would have lost it when she walked down the street in that. Did you help pick it out?"

"Mhm."

He smiled. "Explains why it was a head-turner. Little odd I've never seen you in something as simple. You have a thing for complexity?"

"It's more expressive and artistic this way." Padme defended.

"That it is," he agreed. "Varus is just… being an idiot. He screwed up."

Padme gulped. She had hoped it wasn't the case. She had hoped it was just Ahsoka having wild speculation. But if Ani had some idea what it was… "How bad is it?"

"He lost it all in one swoop." Ani muttered. "Now he wants to tell her."

Padme put her head in her hands. Shit. Shit shit shit. "He'll destroy her…"

"Er, I don't think it will be quite that-" Padme cut him off with an evil glare. "Okay. Guess this is worse than I thought. Maybe." Ani relented. "Didn't realize girls put so much emphasis on this stuff."

"We put a LOT of emphasis on it."

Anakin sighed. After a moment he said, "We have to stop it. He needs more time."

"Time is the last thing he needs. He should be skinned alive."

Anakin started to sweat. "Angel… Let's not pull out the pitchforks just yet. They can overcome this."

She scoffed angrily. As if. "He definitely doesn't deserve her, not anymore… and if you have the nerve to defend him, then while I may smile for your family, I don't plan to go out of my way to make this pleasant for you, and we are going to have some words when we get home." With that she angrily left.

Anakin stared wide-eyed out the window and slowly turned around to look at Obi-Wan, who was sweating and wide-eyed as well. He had been silent in the whole exchange, taking the defensive measure of blending in with the wall. "He's screwed." They both said.

"It's worse than I thought." Obi-Wan said.

"We have to stop it." Anakin said.

"That alien brother of his, what's his name?"

"Koj."

"We might need him as backup."

* * *

Koj listened to the two Jedi. He didn't say anything as they laid out the whole story, and he glanced in the distance to see everyone else greeting Plageus and his children. Koj had arrived the day before, having much further to travel and wanting to rest through the time lag between planets.

"I fail to see how this whole matter results in my brother being in danger." Koj concluded.

"Koj, look." Anakin tried. "You know the concept of a flag, yes?" Koj nodded. "It's symbolizes something. You don't damage it, burn it, or tarnish it in any way without being in trouble because it represents a given nation. Is that something we can agree with?"

"We can."

"Great. Now. What Varus did, tarnished his relationship with Ahsoka. Because it has that kind of symbolism."

"I see. So he lost something and so he has lost his love?"

"Not quite. They can make it work again, but it requires time. We thought it was bad, but then we aren't women… apparently its really bad."

"Then I fail to see what you need from me. I cannot give him advice on something I am not adequately understanding. I recognize what you are saying, but little beyond that." Koj said.

"Just… stop Varus. He is going to talk to Ahsoka, and it will be ugly."

Koj nodded in understanding. "That I can do."

* * *

I breath in and out, and head to Ahsoka. I realize I don't have much to go on, but hopefully it will work. Ahsoka doesn't see me coming. That gives me a moment to compose my thoughts as I take my time.

Okay… time to do this.

"Varus." Koj walks up to me.

"Yeah?" I ask. Talk about timing. What does he need?

"Walk with me."

"Can it wait? I need to talk to Ahsoka about something before we all have dinner."

"I am afraid this cannot wait." Koj nods in the direction he wants us to go.

Must be serious. Did something happen with the Rebel Alliance? With his people? With Squirt? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let him down. It just… the timing REALLY sucks. Oh well, I can do it later. I have all day. "Alright."

Koj nods and I follow him. We enter the hall and Koj leads the way. I follow. We take turns. With each open door, I expect us to enter and to find what it is he is taking me to. With each turn, I expect him to talk. Yet… he doesn't open his mouth. I get more and more worried. Koj is easily the silent type, but he is also balanced by the fact that he talks when it is important or necessary.

But after we pass the same room three times, my worry turns to annoyance. "Koj, do you know where you are going?"

"Yes."

I nod. Okay. He knows where we are going. So… "What are we doing then?"

"I am distracting you."

I come to a halt. I do nothing. I just stare at him dumbly for a solid second while my brain plays catch-up with what I just heard. Even knowing what I heard my brain still is confused. "What?"

"I am distracting you." Koj repeats himself. "I would say I have succeeded."

I can only blink. "So, this wasn't important?"

"It was very important that I distract you. It could not wait."

Okay, now I'm annoyed. I grit my teeth angrily. "Tree-Hugger and Mustachio put you up to this, didn't they?"

"If those are the names of your two Jedi friends, then yes."

I turn around. Just as I do Koj throws out his Void-arm and covers my path. "Koj." I growl. "Get out of my way."

"I am still distracting you."

"Don't make me fight you!"

"Despite what you may be feeling, this is for your own good. I do not want you damaged, and I would rather you don't fight me. Someone would get hurt… most likely me."

I glare darkly at him. I am not hurt by Koj, not really. He doesn't get it. He is just doing as he is told by the Jedi, which is an ironic position in its own right, to protect me. I almost appreciate the gesture. Its just… I'm hurt. Right now is not the time for this. I unleash a burst of energy into the wall and walk through the door I just made. If Koj won't let me pass, then I will make my own way.

I enter the primary room to search, and lo and behold there is no Ahsoka. I try to ask where she is in the bond, but she is distracted by meditation.

…

Why is she meditating?

I close my eyes and extend my senses out. Through my Miraluka sight, I find her elsewhere in the temple meditating with Tree-Hugger. Typical. Well, two can play at this game.

I run through the temple trying to remember what the layout was. As if on cue, Son appears in my path.

"Sith."

"Sorry, don't have time for you." I respond as I run by.

If only it was that easy. He waves his hand and I run face-first into an invisible wall. I breathe in and out angrily. My frustration and temper is rising. All these distractions. All these attempts to screw around with me. Yeah, I'm getting aggrivated.

"That hellion you brought with you last time, I am curious as to her mortal identity." Son asks.

First, let us say it takes a long moment to understand exactly what it was he just said. Even then, I have to ask, "What?" This is now the second time I have been confused by the randomness of things in the last few minutes.

Son rolls his eyes and explains slowly as though I am a dumbass who can only understand by speaking slowly, "The. Blind. Hellion. Mortal. I am curious what her name is."

Blind hellion. "You must mean Visas." I answer. "Why? Wait… don't tell me they hired you to distract me!"

He scoffs indignantly. "Please. I am not hired to do anyone's bidding, nor is it required that I be hired to actually distract one such as yourself. You are a distraction already. To yourself just as much as those around you. No, I ask for curiosity. I acknowledge her as one of the few worth having a name to. All the rest of you are the same to me."

"Wow, thanks. We are so lowly we should bask in the knowledge that you allow us to exist in the same universe as your magnificence." I reply with dripping sarcasm.

"You should. Pity you don't." He examines his fingernails. He waves his hand. "You may pass now."

"Remind me to kiss your ass later." I flip him off and return to running.

I run into the room where she is, only, she isn't here. Okay, I am going to close my eyes, and when I open them she will be her- she's not here.

Why isn't she here?!

They sensed me coming and took her elsewhere. Now I am really getting ticked off!

'Ahsoka, where are you?' I ask through our bond. She pushes back defensively in that I shouldn't be getting angry, and they are about to have dinner. I'm about to be late.

For some reason I feel she is afraid… of me. 'I don't know what is going on. Perhaps I have been a bit distant lately, but I've been nervous. There is something I need to talk to you about.' I say.

 **'What is it?'**

'I'll explain when I see you. Tree-hugger has hired people to keep me away. Just hold on. I got something to get off my chest.'

 **'Can't it wait until after the family dinner?'**

'I'd rather not. I've waited long enough.'

I feel she is apprenhensive, as she doesn't know what it is I want to talk about, and naturally that brings to mind a lot of different possbilities. Well, time to put it to rest.

I storm into the dining room. Everyone seems was just sitting down. Ahsoka gets up politely and says, "If you will excuse me a second." And she starts to come to me.

Judging from Tree-Hugger's surprise, he didn't expect me to want to do this in the middle of the dinner. Well guess what, I'm stubborn. Koj shares a worried glance with him as well.

Darth Plageus looks to us curiously. I explain politely, "This will not take long. There is something important I need to discuss with my girlfriend."

As if on cue, there is another distraction. This time, Cyborg-Hugger has to be the one getting up, and for some reason she looks infuriated. Koj and Tree-Hugger get up as well.

I ignore them and turn to Ahsoka. She recognizes how serious I am and is understandable unsure, and a bit afraid. "Ahsoka-"

"You have some nerve doing this to her now!" Cyborg-Hugger exclaims.

I put my hand up and ignore her. "Not right now. Now… Ahsoka."

"This is most unwise." Koj adds.

"Varus, think about this." Tree-Hugger begs me.

I say louder, "Guys, will you give me a second!?" They are getting more and more on my nerves. I can barely think with them on my back.

"Varus, come on. Come sit and enjoy the dinner." Koj insists.

"You know, I thought you were always a little weird, but doing this to her right now, after what you did… Its like I don't even know you anymore!" Cyborg-Hugger exclaims.

That hurts. Like I know I do, I turn it into anger. My vision goes red, but I am still trying to focus on just doing this with Ahsoka.

"Varus-" Tree-Hugger starts.

I snap. **"LAY THE HELL OFF! I AM TRYING TO PROPOSE HERE AND I CAN'T DO THAT WITH ALL OF YOU ON MY ASS!"**

The room goes silent. Everyone is staring at me. Except for Son. He bursts out in laughter till he cries.

…

I growl, "Great going. Now it's all out in the open. You happy?"

I turn back to Ahsoka, only to find she is the one with the most surprised expression of them all, and she is swaying. I feel her mind is part swimming in a never ending echo of 'propose', 'propose', 'propose' and part shutting down.

Correction, she is shutting down! "Agh, Ahsoka!"

* * *

Ahsoka woke up to a migraine and a kink in her neck. "Ow." She groaned. She rubbed at her neck. "What happened?" She asked Obi-Wan, who was sitting by her.

He looked a bit on the depressed side, but was happy to see her awake and seemingly well. "You passed out. The Sith boy managed to catch you."

"Passed out…" She muttered. Her thoughts were cloudy. She didn't remember passing out. She remembered being worried about something lately, and Padme consoled her that everything was okay, and Fly-boy wanted to meditate with her a bit to calm her nerves and talk for a few minutes before dinner.

The dinner…

Varus interrupted it…

Her eyes flew open wide and her heart jumped into hyperspeed till it hurt. "Varus proposed!" She whispered in disbelief.

"Mhmm. Sith Boy did." Obi-Wan agreed with a nod.

Ahsoka looked around. There was no one in the room but the two of them. "What happened after I passed out? Where is everyone?"

He chuckled nervously. "Well… long story short. There was an argument. Lots of yelling. Padme was in Sith Boy's face, and he looked like he was on the verge of snapping. His eyes were red and everything, and he was trembling in rage. Ani couldn't let his former padawan hurt his wife, so he stepped in, which nearly resulted in him and Ani fighting. Finally the former Sith Lord, the alien… ugh… Koj, and I had to separate them before it came to blows."

"Oh, Sithspit." She muttered.

He nodded. "It was bad. Thankfully, rational minds won out and got it boiled down."

"Was he actually cheating?"

"No."

"How it is boiled down then is that I didn't believe in him." Ahsoka concluded guiltily. She put her head in her hands. "I screwed up."

"Not entirely." Obi-Wan half-denied. "The signs Padme described were spot on. Varus was reacting in a way associated with cheating men with a guilty conscience, at least around you. All you did was see the signs and worry. It was the rest of us who took it the extra mile, because, something did actually happen, but we had been trying to keep it under wraps and… it got complicated."

She nodded. "What happened?"

"Well, he came to Ani and I saying he decided to propose. We told him to buy a ring. He bought a ring, but made the mistake of not going to a proper jewelry store. He got scammed, it was fake. Then he lost it down the drain."

Ahsoka let that sink in while she struggled to calm her heart that he was proposing to her, put aside her guilt, and not throw up from sheer emotion. She found it typical really. Everything with Varus tended to get blown out of proportion.

No wonder he had trouble with a normal life. It was as if the Force wanted things to constantly spin into chaos around him. If he didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all.

"What happened next?"

"He decided to go through with it anyway. We tried to stop him. Padme brought it up, and we thought she knew. We didn't check to be sure she had all the facts. What we said only seemed to prove in her mind that he was cheating. We thought she was blowing it out of proportion, not realizing she had concluded cheating rather than losing a ring. But not being women, we thought it was a lot worse than we originally decided… We tried to stop him and well, the rest is history."

She couldn't help but chuckle despite how awful she felt. "For once, everyone around him is freaking out and causing it, rather than him."

"No, he is definitely partially at fault. The kid kept too tight of a lid on it and felt guilty over something that, let's be honest, wasn't the end of the world. Then with both of you tied together on a mental level… it caused you to see signs of things while he had to keep an iron-tight lid on himself to keep his plan a secret."

Ahsoka nodded. She had a pretty clear picture now. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, after all was said and done. Apologies were made, but people felt it best to keep some distance from each other. Padme and Ani are going on a walk to clear their head. Sith Boy is pouting at the table. I don't know where the others are. They're around. Everyone checked on you."

"Thanks for staying with me." Ahsoka smiled warmly. He most likely put it on himself to explain things and take the brunt of whatever impact the news had. He smiled back and patted her on the shoulder.

"If there is anything else, just ask."

"I will." Ahsoka stood and stretched. Obi-Wan left, and Ahsoka frowned. She felt awful. She probed the bond. Varus was churning in himself. She conveyed how sorry she felt, and he brushed it off easily, conveying back how meaningless her fault was.

Now who is the one forgiving too easily?

 **'Always will be you.'**

Ahsoka found him at the table with his head resting on his overlapped arms. She sat by him and rested her own head on his shoulder. They sat in silence while she conveyed how sorry she was and he repeatedly said it was okay.

 **'I wasn't aiming for perfect… just to get it done semi-properly. Can't even do that right.'**

"Why go to Obi and Ani about how to do it right? Didn't your parents have a ring?"

"No, they didn't. The concept of a ring is one I have never heard of, ever. The Miraluka version is a Force Bond. The one we have. Only, I'm told you didn't accept it as a marriage or proposal."

"Of course not. It was for medicinal reasons." Ahsoka explained.

 **'Not arguing with that.'**

"What do Togruta do for a ring?" Varus wondered.

Ahsoka closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know. All I remember of my parents is they gave me up when I was a child."

She felt Varus get aggravated. "So a ring means what to you?"

"Not much. It's a tradition associated with human cultures."

Varus groaned. Ahsoka smiled. It was almost cute. "Marry me?"

 **'Okay, now you're just mocking me.'** Varus grumbled. **'Tree-Hugger said that part is my job.'**

"He also said to get a ring, and we saw how that went. Plus we just proved neither of us really care about that. Plus I was the one who asked you to date me. Plus I was the one who made the Bond. Face it, I was going to be the one doing this."

…

Varus sighed. **'Under one condition: If anyone asks, we say I did it.'**

Deal.


	2. Prologue - The Chosen One

**Prologue - The Chosen One**

* * *

Anakin stood on the balcony overlooking the night. The waterfalls flowed and the rivers crept by. He had a drink in his hand, but it was untouched. His thoughts lay on more philosophical matters, and yet how realistic it was to what was happening in the galaxy, or at the very least would soon.

"You requested me?" Varus asked.

Anakin motioned for his former pupil to stand by him. Varus was still in his wedding tuxedo. The party continued on in the mansion behind them. Padme had given them a quiet place for the event, and only some people were invited. All the same, it was an event that was not meant to be kept quiet. Anakin counted thirty people.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"No." Varus replied without hesitation. He stood by Anakin and leaned against the railing. "I dislike parties or being under a spotlight like this. Ahsoka does too. She says its more for everyone else. I don't claim to understand."

"Ah, well. The process is to be married, then to celebrate later. And don't think this is the goal here. Marriage is about the journey. This is only the starting point. That is what this is. It is just not considered that why on the holotube."

"Hm… Did you really ask me out here to ask if I was enjoying a party with… dancing?"

Anakin smirked, "No, I know you hate dancing."

"Damn straight."

"What I asked you out here for was to ask you questions about… your Sith training."

Anakin watched as Varus's face grew deadly serious. Not to say lethal or dangerous for him, but the subject he wanted to talk about was one with a deadly variety. And most likely not the best place for a wedding night, but Anakin had some things to discuss and decided to get started on his plans the next morning.

"What do you want to know?" Varus asked.

"Was there more to your Sith training then what you personally learned? Like… is there areas you never delved in that you at least know of?" Varus nodded. "Okay. Can you tell me?"

"There is lots." Varus shrugged.

"Well, the reason is because… I want to have an idea of how depraved and filled with hatred the Sith are allowing themselves. How far are they going. If I am going to bring balance, I need to have an idea of how bad it is they are being taught."

Varus was silent for a long moment. "There is a great deal Nihilus did not teach me. He, being little more than an psychotic presence in the Force, held little value in a lot of teachings. He strayed more towards the Jedi code, in his mentality, though his actions and techniques are Sith origin. My skills in lightning and Void are obvious enough, and are where I was trained most."

Varus continued, "But there are things I read, things I heard in holocrons, that give me chills to remember, and not for the same reason as Void. Nihilus is an absence of emotion, and his teachings reflected that. He still explained the general Sith things, so that I can touch on."

"Please proceed."

Varus breathed in deeply. "There is one technique on enchanting weapons. It is very ancient, used on metallic blades rather than plasma ones. You kidnap people, torture them, and kill them while they are in pain. The more pain the better. You then bathe the blade in it and instill the Force into the blade as you do it. When you pull it out, it is bathed in the hatred of the Dark side. That's an example of alchemy."

Anakin gulped. It was along the lines of what he feared.

"There is more in the alchemy area. Things that delve into cannibalism, sucking blood, or draining life energy in a way very similar to the Void, but is reliant on pain. Then there is necromancy."

"Necromancy?" Anakin gasped. "As in raising of the dead?"

Varus shook his head. "Not exactly resurrection, but rather being… a kind of puppeteer to empty husks. The last I heard, the Sisterhood delved into it. Ahsoka told me how you guys tango'd with one of them in the Clone Wars. Lady Vashj? No… whoever the woman it was under Dooku."

"I know who you are talking about."

"Well, then there is enhancement. It is the most basic Sith technique, and used the most. Even I do it, and the Jedi delve into it as well. The Sith, however, delve into it in such a way that it can give you a massive boost temporarily, but will destroy you in the process. Its partially why you will see some with black marks all over them. Its bruising and can't be healed naturally. The ability to move faster, jump higher, attack stronger is very tempting and can be overused. The way the Sith do it… it feels like a drug. You feel above everyone else, so you never want to stop. A typical Sith will use Force Enhancement even when they aren't doing anything just because it feels good."

"I see why they hurt themselves. It's like steroids."

"Just remember that the Sith you are used to seeing aren't actual Sith. They are fallen Jedi or Dark Side users in general. Sith is a culture and nation. Anyway, then there are some who combine arts. There is one Sith Nihilus told me about… A um… Sion? Nihilus and Sion worked together under Darth Revan in the Triad. He combines alchemy with enhancement and necromancy in a way to keep himself immortal. He is the only Sith to be older than Valkorian."

"Are you serious?" Anakin whispered.

"Nihilus said the guy goes all the way back to the Hyperspace War. Not near as strong as Nihilus, so he is worker than you or I, but he has proven too much for anything to kill yet. He's the Sith version of a roach. He apparently fuels his life with the Dark Side, keeps his broken body held together with the Dark Side, and fuels his power with the very pain he endures. His body is actually cut in pieces, but he holds it together day and night, and the pain of being a giant wound fuels his power."

Anakin closed his eyes and let it sink in. "Is this how far your typical Sith is willing to go just to spite the rest of the galaxy?"

"Not quite that far, no. Sion is the only one to have outlived Valkorian and do it with raw hatred and pain. At least that I know of. There is an entire nation of them out there. I can't speak for them, but as much of what Nihilus learned came from Valkorian directly, I can come close. There is another I remember… a group technique."

"Group?"

"Yeah. The Jedi draw power from the universe, from the Force. Sith build it up within themselves. However Nihilus told me of 'group techniques' where a single Sith will draw on the energy of a group to unleash one gigantic technique." Varus sighed. "Nihilus never said it, but the methodology leans towards mass sacrifice if it is strong enough. Pulling people life eneryg out like they are nothing more than batteries, you know some will be depleted in the process."

Anakin felt like he was going to be sick.

"Are you okay? You look like you're going to pass out." Varus looked at him in concern.

Anakin shook his head, "No, I'm not fine. I'm just… realizing the magnitude of what I have to accomplish."

Varus shrugged, "Well, if it helps, I don't think you can do it completely."

Anakin rolled his eyes.

"No, as in, not all Sith." Varus corrected. "There will be some that follow Valkorian in his hatred, there will be some that might listen if you want to do something about the imbalance, and there will be some that are neutral or take sides for other reasons. I think it is dumb and impractical for you to expect to get EVERYONE on your side. There will be renegade Jedi as well, most likely, because what you want to do is very extreme."

"It is." Anakin reflected. He looked down on his student in wonder. "Who are you and what did you do with my student? Varus is not the wise type." Varus narrowed his eyes at the man and Anakin smiled. "Thanks. You're right, I won't win them all. I may not even win a lot. But if I can win enough of them to start something… to plant a seed and protect it, then that is something."

"But then what about the rest?"

Anakin's composure darkened. "I don't know…" He nodded towards the mansion. "Why don't you return to your party. I've held you long enough."

"Sure," Varus left with a knowing look. "Just let us know when -not if- you need us to pull you out of trouble."

Anakin shook his head in disbelief. Would wonders never cease? He was used to the wise ones being Padme or Ahsoka. But then, if anyone understood Sith, it was Varus.

Anakin knew what he needed to do. The only problem was doing it. It would be difficult… so the sooner he started, the better. He pulled up his datapad and sent a message to Obi-Wan: Gather the masters.

* * *

Anakin stood before the assembly. Never before had he seen so many Jedi Master's in one place, and he took a moment to look over them. Many of them were people he recognized. Like him, many among them were promoted to Master in what would have been considered too early before the fall of Coruscant.

Of course, the Jedi Council in the old days did not represent the entirity of the Masters either. They were the rank above master. But this meeting was not about Councils, but about the totality of what remained of the Jedi. So in one sense the sheer fact that Anakin could almost count their number in a galaxy of millions of planets only showed how few they had become. Between the purges of the Triad, the Clone Wars, Nihilus, and Starkiller… the Jedi had become few.

Anakin had chosen Coruscant as the meeting place. Coruscant was desolate and with an atmosphere too thin for breathing, but there were space stations in orbit. The entirity of the galaxy's greatest powers were sharing the burden of reviving the planet. It was a monumental task with an unimaginable cost, but it represented something far deeper.

It represented a common ground. It represented hope. It represented the ancient glory of what the galaxy could be again. Not that Anakin was not also distinctly aware of the politics.

The New Republic had successfully assimilated the Old Republic, and had become a power nearly equal to the Mandalorian Clans. Koj devoted his attention to his people, but was currently working with the Rebel Alliance to root out the Eternal Hand from among them, and form a close allegiance with both the Clans and United System Alliance. The Alliance would become a power equal to the Dominion with its center being Tatooine if the contract carried through.

But in regards to Coruscant, things were shaking up. The Mandalorians claimed ownership because history proved that it was originally theirs thousands of years ago, and they took on the greatest economic burden of restoring the planet. While the Republic claimed Coruscant by claiming it was never truly lost. A small colony was found deep in the planet that had survived Nihilus and the loss of air by sealing themselves tight and recycling everything. The colony was found with its own greenhouses (the sun was able to reach them), its own recycled air, and its own recycled water. It was a thriving persistent colony within Coruscant's infrastructure, and they hailed allegience to the Republic.

Anakin feared a war was on the way between the Mandalorians and Republic, but he also knew the nature of the war would be between lawyers. The Mando'a and Republic were too closely tied as allies, and with reasonable leaders, to raise arms against each other. Plus Anakin was comforted that Canderous was keenly aware of Valkorian. He was preparing everything he had for that war to come. He wouldn't risk everything over a planet.

The glass on which Anakin stood showed the surface of Coruscant, and before him were his fellow Masters. Many were in holograms, as the meeting time was too sudden to allow transport. Many also didn't show at all, but Anakin was fine with it. He wasn't here to get the Jedi united per say, but to get the majority into a movement.

"My fellow Masters, hear me." Anakin said. "I come to bring a warning and a thought for you to have, but first, allow me to tell a story. Here, on Coruscant, the Jedi took the greatest blow we have suffered. Here, we were scattered. The Sith, under Nihilus, invaded, and Nihilus destroyed us. We fled, and in our escape I came to be in the possession of the mask of Nihilus. Being the Chosen One, I was immune to the nature of power, but at the same time I could not stop him. He could have gone on to continue his dark work, but he did not. He contented himself with hiding behind me, allowing himself to be caged.

"The question of why he would do it taunted me for years, and I would not receive my answer until recent days. But during this time, the clones of Starkiller were hunting Jedi in seeking me. As it turned out, they were not after me, but after Nihilus, who they knew was contained by me. They were after him… whether to kill or obtain his power… I could not say, and so I decided to take Nihilus to the one place where I believed he could be truly contained. By the Clans. So I struck a deal to capture a terrorist group in return for my appeal."

"A bit of a side-quest, it would appear you took. Is this relavent to your story?" A Master questioned.

"It is, I assure you." Anakin nodded. "Because it was there I encountered my first Prior."

There were murmers among them, and Anakin allowed silence a moment before continuing. "What I encountered is a man who possessed foreign, dark Force energies, and who could pass those same energies on to a man who was not Force sensetive. This Prior… I would come to meet Priors a few times, many times in league with the Starkiller clones, and yet their nature illuded me. They possessed power over the Void, that which is the absence of all life. Neither the Dark Side nor the Light.

"And It was in one of these encounters that I came to learn what they wanted." Anakin breathed in deeply. "Their dark master, who gave them their power, seeks to become a god by killing the Force and replacing it."

As he expected, this sent them into a frenzy. Well, as frenzied as a meeting of Jedi could be. They expressed disbelief and the rediciulasness of it. Yet the one thing they could not deny was that Anakin was telling the truth. Or, at the very least, he believed it. He was not lying.

"Can you validate this claim?" One Master asked.

"The only other witness to his words was a child." Anakin said. "I understand this is difficult to believe. How can anyone seek to kill the Force? How can anyone replace it? How can anyone seek to truly become a god? I didn't believe it. I found it to be the claims of a madman. But as I would come to learn, the Force itself was moving and had a champion."

"What did you do?"

"In this instance, I am not referring to myself, nor any Jedi. This one was a man who worshipped the Force with no rules placed upon him, no code, and no lessons. He is a man who had a relationship with the Force. Nothing more. He learned by listening to the Force. He learned of the Force by seeing what it wanted and what it did not want, and by being humble, and by reflection. In many ways, I hold him to be even wiser than the wisest among us." Anakin looked over them. "His simple wisdom would have humbled Master Yoda. This man, was also filled with hatred. Because as it turns out, he is a Ghorfa."

The Masters did not react. "What is a Ghorfa?"

"That is exactly the problem." Anakin explained. "The Ghorfa were the people of Tatooine, and we, the Jedi, made an agreement with the Hutts to wipe out a 'rebellion' in return for medicine. We called them beasts, we called them monsters, and they were not. They are a people who have been pushed into a corner for generations. The seeds of pain, of desperation, have long been in them, but we dealt the killing blow. In turn, this man had the seed of hatred planted in him.

"Then how can this man be the champion of the Force?"

"Because that is exactly what the Force intended to use. It took him to the Eternal Hand, and told him to join them. Told him to embrace his hatred and see how far it can go. He did. He embraced his hatred. He joined the Eternal Hand. He saw their master…" Anakin breathed in deeply. "And in so doing, he claims he saw the very heart of hatred. He was saved from his hate and humbled himself, and this man told me this: I cannot hate you, Jedi, for I have looked into the very heart of hatred, and have seen an abomination. Compared to what I have seen, my own hatred is nothing.

"This man, while being in contact with this Abomination, would come to learn a few facts, the most important detail being a man it feared. A man named 'The One'. We saught out The One, and from The One, we learned the nature of the Abomination, the leader of the Eternal Hand, the nature of a creature that would seek godhood and the death of the Force.

"The Abomination was born with the name Valkorian… and he is a creation of the Sith a thousand years ago. When we wiped out the Sith, those that survived left with the seeds of hatred. Like the Ghorfa, they were pushed into a corner. Like the Ghorfa, they turned over to their hate to the extent of sacrificing their own lives in a ritual to create a 'Champion of Vengeance'. They created Valkorian with a singular purpose: To have revenge. And more than that, that Valkorian has, in his mission, been patient and found a way to extend his life a thousand years.

"It was after this that I came to understand. Nihilus had hid because he was afraid. He was afraid of Valkorian's agents. The Eternal Hand were sowing chaos in the galaxy, and still are to this day, in the name of Valkorian. Valkorian is not seeking vengeance directly, but is preparing. Valkorian was the one who told the Mandalorians to wage war with the Republic with the promise of help! Valkorian corrupted the Revanchist and sent them back at us as the Sith Triad! Valkorian gave Nihilus his power! With Valkorian's corruption, Palpatine started the Clone Wars to split the galaxy! Valkorian cloned the Starkillers to hunt Jedi and kill the Sith that were no longer with him! Valkorian sent the Eternal Hand to create chaos!

"HEAR ME!" Anakin yelled. "The seeds of hatred, of genocide, are what we planted! You may think in your hearts that Valkorian, and the Sith that follow him, are fighting as barbarians. BUT THEY ARE FIGHTING ON TERMS WE STARTED! We bombed their planets to dust a thousand years ago! We created the war! And so I say now that the war is coming soon! Now that we know of him, Valkorian cannot hide in shadows and lies! But… nor can we sit by and think that we have nothing to be guilty of. Truly, those of us here did not live in those days, but we have the responsbility to bearing the weight of it all!"

"And what do you suggest, that we war with them and make this weight worse?" Someone questioned in disbelief.

"Despite it all… we have no choice." Anakin admitted. "At the center of the Sith lies a core of hatred, of rage, that exists at everything. Valkorian's hatred is pointed at the very heart of the galaxy, at the Force. The Sith are reviving and have grown around him with his word, with his law as the foundation. Yes. We will be at war, but I say we do it to blot out the core. To take out the festering heart of rage that is feeding them words."

Anakin hesitated, this next part would earn him many enemies. "But we cannot do that without first going after our own heart. The Jedi Council committed a crime, and they tried to cover it up… not by denying it, but rather saying it was the Will of the Force. They made it so that we have no need to feel guilt for it, that guilt is just a part of the Dark Side. Love… Not just love for family, but for strangers, is evil. This 'code' of harmony, of calm, of peace, of feeling nothing and not reflecting… is what created Nihilus. This is what the Jedi have started to become."

Immediately there was yelling, and Anakin put his hand out to be heard. "Listen! No, listen! Nihilus was a man without guilt! He felt nothing! He was a monster without compassion! Without love! Without caring! If he had the slightest guilt, a human part of him that had a proper emotional standing, he would have been found out and cast out! But he was allowed to exist and prosper as a Jedi because his sociopathic nature made him out to be the perfect Jedi! This is what our Code seeks to create!"

* * *

Anakin threw his coat over his shoulders and stomped his way through the rain. The puddles rippled under his furious steps and he pressed forward to return to his ship. Obi-Wan hurried to keep up with his pace as Anakin had a head start on him. Anakin stomped his way up the ramp and Obi followed him up. "Ani!"

Anakin responded with cursing. "Barbarians! Vagabonds! Uncouth curs! Close-minded! Hateful! Spiting pigs of bigots that fell off the wagon and hit their heads when they were two! Their mothers didn't-" At this point he broke into Huttese and seriously started to hiss what he really thought. Obi-Wan felt his ears burn at more than a few of the words being muttered.

Obi-Wan shook his coat and hung it. He took up Anakin's off the floor and did the same with it. He closed the ramp and went after his former-student. Anakin had just left everything behind in his mindset to get to the pilot seat, where Obi-Wan found him. Ani was not piloting the ship, but he fiddled with buttons and turned knobs. Sitting in the pilot seat and having his hands on gadgets calmed him, but at the rate in which he was flipping a switch back and forth, Obi was half-afraid he would break it clear off.

If he broke the on-switch, that would be bad. Those are important.

"I'm sorry they didn't listen." Obi-Wan spoke out of sympathy. He took up the co-pilot seat and leaned back with a sigh. "I won't say I told you so, but you had to know that your words would not be taken well."

"Yeah, well it's the truth!" Anakin exclaimed. "I'm the Chosen One! When does that title start to mean a damn thing? Does it mean something when I am done and they can go 'oh! You're the chosen one! Command me! Guide me!' when it is no longer necessary? What kind of bullshit is that! If I am going to guide anyone, it has to be before its over!"

"They don't think you are a guide, they think you are there to kill Sith and bring the Light to harmony."

"Well congratulations!" Anakin snapped. Obi-Wan knew he wasn't angry at him, so he didn't take it personally. "They got what they wanted! I'm going to be killing me some Sith in the coming war, but wait! THAT IS STILL NOT WHAT THEY WANTED! 'Oh, yes! Let's not make war! But. But. Let's not make peace either! Let's just stick our heads in the sand and look more into how we are going to give a drowning man a glass of war!"

"I think you mean 'water'."

"In this case, its both." Anakin muttered.

Obi-Wan leaned forward and looked his former student in the eye. "The thing you have to realize, Ani, is that you are not a prophet. You don't speak directly with the Force on a regular basis, nor do you have divine knowledge, nor are you the son of a god. The son of Plageus in a ritual, yes, but not directly a demi-god. What you are is a champion of the Force… a person with a destiny to accomplish something with your own two hands. Not to be the mouth-piece to proclaim destiny, but the one to take it with his own two hands and make it turn."

Anakin looked to his master, and his rage diminsihed. He nodded slightly and sat back to look out the window and watch the rain fall. "Would have been nice to have some help though."

"Let's be fair, do you really want help from people who don't share your agenda or ideal? People that have their own agenda's?"

"Probably not."

"You have me, you have your students, you have your family." Obi-Wan chuckled. "For that matter, your family grew massively, and your own siblings have more strength than all of the Jedi combined. Do you really need a bunch of old farts to turn destiny?"

Anakin frowned. "That is what worries me. Valkorian was the firstborn of Plageus. He is not just a Sith, or a Sith Lord, but might as well be a Sith Champion, a titan, a demi-god in his own right. I have no doubt that I am the Force's champion, you are right. But something I have considered… is that prophecy and saviors and heroes are only as powerful as what they are made to accomplish. Gods only intervene when they have to… so for the Force to intervene personally to create me through possibly the most powerful Sith to have ever been born… then how much greater is Valkorian?"

"Think about it." Anakin continued. "We are talking about a person so powerful that 'power' is something he can hand out freely to his followers like chump-change. Something worthless to him because he has ascended so far that to him… we are insect. What he gave his Priors is just scraps. Crumbs. Bits of power he had no more use for."

"Perhaps it was a gamble and he gave his Prior's more than he can afford?"

"No. No, no. Valkorian is cautious, manipulative, intelligent. Not a gambling man. He wouldn't have lasted a thousand years and orchestrated a dozen wars if he was a gambler."

"I think he is." Obi-Wan argued. "He clearly knew of Plageus, and if he is as well-informed as you make him sound, he would have heard of the prophecy. But he never stopped Plagues from creating you. It might be that Plagues stayed where he has all these years to hide, and Valkorian may never have ever found you. Let's admit, some slave kid on Tatooine is not the first thing you think of when you think of Arch-Nemesis."

"Gee. Thanks." Anakin replied flatly.

Obi-Wan smiled in amusement. "But we have still looked at years where Valkorian could have found you. The Jedi publically declared you Chosen One. You have been vulnerable. If Valkorian truly wanted to kill you, he would have sent his agents long ago. No… I think he is a gambling man, and I think he is also has a flair for the dramatic. Because either he is ignorant of you and isn't as powerful as you make him out to be, or he is and is waiting for you. The Chosen One versus The Abomination. It has a very theatrical appeal to it. Almost something that Sith-boy of your's would have spit out."

Anakin chuckled. "I don't doubt that… Let's hope the Force's little gamble pays off then."


	3. Episode 1 - Beginning of the End Part 1

**Episode 1 - Beginning of the End**

* * *

My name is Varus Wynn.

It's the name the Jedi gave me when I was their pet slave. Long story short: I was a Miraluka taken in by a Sith, I became a Sith to exact revenge on him for wiping out my family and to remove my own guilt, I killed a lot of Jedi in the process under the name 'Starkiller, the Jedi brainwashed me, named me Varus Wynn, and handed me over to Anakin Skywalker. Nihilus, my Sith master, was not happy. He orchestrated events to restore my memory, and wiped the Jedi out. I had been impacted enough as a Jedi to make a choice, and I chose… neither, really. I chose to turn my back on being a Sith, but also to walk away from being a Jedi. I went to prison for my crimes. Following events turned me into a slave, where I gained a niece and brother, and because some big-bad Sith decided that one of me wasn't sexy enough, he had to make a dozen more.

The answer for what happens when you put two of me in the same room: A lot of fun for all the little me's. Not so much for everyone else. Turns out my clones were unleashed to hunt down Anakin and Nihilus. In the confusion, I was broken out of slavery and hired to help fix it all. There were ups and downs. Had my family restored, and lost it again. Started on the wrong side with Ahsoka, but then we got married. Don't even get me started on the situation with my own people, that's a rollercoaster of its own. As well as the drama with my brother… and with Anakin… And with just about everyone really.

Did I mention Nihilus is imprisoned in a crystal used by the Prior's of the Eternal Hand?

Or that we found Anakin's long lost family? Turns out he is ascended from demi-gods.

Or that my mother commited suicide to not kill my brother who tried to destroy my entire people and was clinically insane with half of his body skeletonized and was considered the Son of Nihilus?

And people wonder why I am insane?

 **'You know you are just standing there talking to yourself right?'**

See? It's starting already.

 **'Varus, come on.'**

I have to get myself pumped up. Shush. I put my hands out and breathe in and out. Be tranquil. Be at peace. Be in control.

 **'So you stand around saying 'I am Varus Wynn' to pump yourself up?'** Ahsoka mocks me. **'I am Varus Wynn. I am idiot. I am man. I am make fire.'**

You're breaking Varus's zen, 'Shoka.

 **'I am speak third-person.'** She continues.

Don't make me get back there and kick your ass in another spar.

 **'You love kicking my ass. As well as staring at it and touching it and-'**

Hey! Not in front of the kids.

 **'WHAT KIDS?! Stop being delusional and go.'**

Fine, fine. I'll be back before dinner. Don't let HK start your spar without me.

 **'I will. Have fun.'**

I will. Love you. She returns the feeling, and I put it all out of my mind. I breathe in and out. I close my eyes. It stick a breather in my mouth. I lean forward and right out of the door of the Ravager into a free fall down into Coruscant orbit over the destroyed Jedi Temple.

What little air remains on Coruscant gently brushes my face. It only goes to show how little atmosphere there is, that it doesn't burn. It's a gentle wind. I'm not stupid enough to wear anything that isn't skin-tight, but there is something on my back as well. Consider it an invention of Tree-Hugger's. I technically don't need it, but he thinks it would be fun.

The Mandalorian Clan's fighters zoom by me. The Mandalorians have a major operation going to restore the planet alongside the Republic. (The New Republic and Old Republic factions assimilated.) They have space stations and stations planetside to restore oxygen and give something to the soil to make it work again. There are also cleanup crews to clean up ruins and work on the infrastructure. It is a monumental task and practically everyone is pitching in, even the former bad guys. People are still at war, but Coruscant is the only true neutral zone. No one dares touch each other here outside of lawyers and politics.

Speaking of war, Koj should be finishing up soon. He is stepping up as a father, and has helped fix everything between Squirt and Ashley, but has spent the last few months working alongside his little slave rebellion. He had made it as a Prior and wanted to take out the Eternal Hand from it. What he had made was good. He just made it while on the wrong side. The United Systems Alliance made a deal with him to provide his rebellion all they need to become their own nation, in return for leading it against the Prior-lead side, and I'm sure the Mandalorians are appreciative of them getting involved. They have been at war with the Cartel so long that the cartel surrendered some time ago. Now its mostly just the rebel alliance lead by the Prior's and the rebel alliance lead by Koj at the forefront of that. I even heard his primary condition was that Tatooine be given to the Ghorfa and were to be under the protection of the United Systems Alliance, as well as Mandalorians. (It is kinda close to both.)

Shouldn't be too much longer. He wants to return home and be a proper father.

The Ravager, namely Ahsoka and I, are here to deliver a ship full of goods. Take a Leviathan-class starship, give it a crew of two, and fill it to the gills with junk and you have yourself a lot of stuff. As well as a lot of money when you don't have to pay for things like… repairs, crew, and supplies for more than two people. A credit of profit per ton being delivered is still… many thousands of tons. I don't even know how much money we have now, it's not something I care about. I leave that to Ahsoka. She cares. It's her business. The only thing I know is that she puts most of the profits into donating to things that she feels strongly about, and helps as many people as possible. I just step in to point the Ravager at where to go and periodically hunt things when we are asked to get a prize that is a bit dangerous.

I swear, if I have to bag us another Rancor, I'm telling them to shove it.

 **'You enjoy it, admit it!'**

Not when they want to use me for a toothpick!

It's been a relaxing two years since I stepped away from the Miraluka. Miraluka… Jedi… Sith. I don't give a crap. I have my family. I don't really need much more. And probably about time I did something about the fact I'm still free-falling. The skyscraper's are zooming past me. The air becomes thicker and soon I have a trail of air following me like a line being drawn through the clouds. A skyscraper's peak shoots up at me and I turn to narrowly avoid it. I zoom past the windows. The clouds disappear and all that is left beneath me is an empty highway and the burning surface of a planet miles below.

I pull back on the string and Tree-Hugger's little invention pops out. It's a board. I curl up, slip it under my feet, and snap my boots into place. Just as my feet snap in, a sail pops out and suddenly the whole thing jerks up. "Whoa!" I exclaim. That was a bit more jerky than I expected. But it flies nicely. I grip a bar around the sail tightly, and the board is solid as well. Now what else did he say? Push and pull the bar or point it up or down? I know how to use a sailing board on water, but his little solar-surfer idea is just…

It's actually kind of fun. Ahsoka, tell Tree-Hugger he has a winner. This is a lot better than his last idea. I'm actually surfing in the air.

 **'I'll send him a message.'**

It takes a lot of learning. Like I said, I know how to use a surfing board with those sail things on water, but in the air it is a little different. I let myself enjoy the surfing in the air for a while. I lower the sail and have some fun without doing anything crazy.

Okay, fun over. I head toward the Jedi Temple again. The air had pushed me off course. I guide the solar-surfer down close and… How does this thing land? I search for a landing mechanism.

I glare at nothing. Tree-Hugger never made a landing mechanism. Dumbass. I jump off. It goes crashing without me and I wince as it bends violently into the ground and snaps.

 **'What did you do?'**

Yeah, tell him it needs a landing mechanism.

 **'What did you do?'**

I landed.

Ahsoka groans in my head. **'I'll ask the station to send a guy to pick you up.'**

Thanks, Love.

I head into the temple. I'm not just here for a joy-ride or to deliver goods or see the galaxy. Granted, Ahsoka and I are doing that. When you give two people a ship that can travel the galaxy, give them more money than they know what to do with through a business that takes a lot of traveling and entire weeks spent doing nothing but watching things get loaded and unloaded: You get a lot of sight-seeing, vacations, and going to places to help out because what else are we going to do with our time?

I'm here for another reason. Something I do with my free time is try to understand a life-long obsession and the drastic turn it has taken. Nihilus lied to me. He lied about leaving a bond on me. I knew he had something, it would only be natural as his apprentice, but for Nihilus to have a bond with someone means immediate death. He did it with me, and he didn't kill me. He did it to keep tabs on me. He didn't trust me despite my devotion. Most of all he lied.

The one thing, the one truly honorable thing I held onto about him was his sense of honesty. He was a murderous psychopath but he did it honestly. And one thing I have learned that defines a psychopath most is that they can only think of the positive consequences, never the bad ones. Why lie about something you think is a good thing? He considered lying to be cowardice, and I do as well. Why hide? Only people that hide are people that are too weak to fess up and take it.

And he lied.

Made me wonder what else he lied about. Being a psychopath, only able to consider positive consequences of your own actions, then I guess it was foolish of me to assume he wouldn't consider lying to be a good thing as well.

Perhaps some deep part of me, the part that is betrayed, that had his hair cut in moments of peace, that was trained and taught about life… wanted something more.

I am re-reading his journals again from a new perspective, and while we are here, I've arranged to have a little moment.

I enter the living quarters of the Jedi Temple and pull out my datapad. I tab through pages of Nihilus' journal on my screen and find what I am looking for. "402-A." I recite. Nihilus lived in that room while he was a Jedi. From when he joined to when he left. That is what the journal says. Let's see if it's true.

It takes some time but I find it. I read the decayed tag on the door that reads 402-A. It's the room. I enter in and immediately have to take a step back out. I nearly double-over in pain and remembrance. Years of being under Nihilus's tutelage flies into memory, and I hear Ahsoka calling out to me in the back of my mind. She's panicking, and I'm numb. All I hear is the screaming, my own heartbeat, and the echo of nothingness and Void filling the room.

It's a simple room. But it was definitely HIS room. I feel it in every obsessively aligned strip of wallpaper, I see it in the utter lack of furniture or personality, I taste it in the air devoid of any smell.

The same kind of room I wanted before Ahsoka. If left to my own devices I would have growan

n in in a barren room with nothing but a floor, walls, and ceiling. I could put my clothes on the floor, work on my tools on the floor, sleep on the floor. I grew up having no need for anything.

Before Ahsoka…

I take a breath from the device in my mouth and enter in. I push away at the shadows surrounding me and trying to enter my heart as I comb the room. His power holds no sway over me. Not anymore. I won't deny killing Nihilus is still pretty high on my bucket list, but… okay how do I say this without being sappy… I've learned that what I do with my life is just as important as who I spend it with.

According to the journal Nitheal, Nihilus' name in life, had more journals. Some of my collection is missing. He stored them in a holocron. A holocron shouldn't be hard to find, especially if it is from that piece of work. However I know what the holocron on the Ravager does, and it's not store memory. So where is the other holocron? Nitheal was obsessed with holocrons. He believed them to be a way of preserving the soul and gaining eternal life.

I check the tile walls and find no plates are loose. The floor is solid as well. I extend my Miraluka senses through the room… and come up with a giant wad of NOTHING!

Why is there nothing here?! Where is the damn holocron! I came all the way here only to come up with nothing!

Ahsoka gently steps up in the back of my mind. **'Varus, calm down. It's okay.'**

Don't tell me it's okay! We just wasted a trip!

 **'No, we didn't waste a trip. We came here to help and ship supplies. You are just being angry.'**

Damn, right! It… this is just another way Nihilus lied… I don't know whether to scream, curse, or cry. For a moment I feel lost, listless, drifting. My rage and anger disappears and leaves me exhausted and empty.

The thing is, I feel the answer is close. I feel it is just within reach. Its like a memory that is beyond you, or something that moves out of the corner of your eye. When you turn to look at it, it is gone, leaving you with no idea what it was. You only know something was there.

The answer is that close. I feel it. I feel it in my bones… I just can't see it and why can't I see it? What direction am I supposed to take in my quest?

I feel Ahsoka sitting patiently in the back of my mind just listening. She doesn't direct any of her thoughts directly to me. I feel her emotions and her thoughts, but nothing is being specifically directed at me to pay attention to.

I sit on the floor, put my head back against the wall, and just let myself feel her company.

What am I going to do?

 **'Well, first thing you should do is come back up. You aren't doing yourself any good sitting in HIS room of all places. Then we can decide whether to go sight-seeing, helping with the cleaning effort, training, watching something on the holovid, or something else.'**

I sigh. Those things do sound a lot better than what I am doing right now. I intertwine my fingers behind my head and leave, but not before releasing a Force burst into the room that collapses the ceiling.

I will continue my quest to find the answers to killing Nihilus, and I know the next step involves finding that blasted holocron with all the journals in it; but for the moment, even if Nihilus is not dead, it feels good getting rid of some part of him. I'll put aside the quest for today and enjoy being with my wife.

* * *

"Mandalore!" A soldier exclaimed. Just as soon as he entered the room, he saluted.

Mandalore took a moment to finish reading the paragraph he was on, and acknowledge the soldier. The soldier's composure was horrified and serious. Mandalore, in turn, felt his gut twist. Something serious had happened. "Report."

"It's Nihilus… sir."

* * *

Nihilus sat patiently within his chamber. The lights flickered at seemingly random times, and there was no interaction with the outside world. He heard nothing of what was happening. In every sense of the word he was in isolation. Time lost all meaning to him. Days and nights passed without notice. Boredom ate away at him.

He knew what was to come, and he was content to wait for it. He didn't know how it would happen, and in what form, but he knew that the crack had been made. He knew that Valkorian's time was coming, just as much as Valkorian would inevitably know. The Sith was watching. The Sith Emperor was always watching.

Days passed, weeks passed, months passed. For all Nihilus knew, years passed. The only reference for time he had at his disposal was the occasional sound of an HK assassination droid patrolling. They were a later model than the one Revan preferred, but then Nihilus also recalled that particular HK droid was custom made and had a knack for evolving.

As if in answer to his own thoughts, gun-fire erupted outside of his chambers. Nihilus stirred and listened. There was no yelling, no grunt of pain. It was a silent battle where the only sound was the HK droid's metallic movements and the sound of guns firing. Before long the silence returned, brief as it was, before the sound of something heavy hit the door. The door to his chamber imploded, but held. Again it was hit, and again a third time before the door collapsed.

Turrets all across the room appeared, gas poured out, and alarms screamed. Nothing entered through the door. Nihilus watched in curiosity.

What entered was a swarm of small metal spiders. They clambered across the floor, the ceiling, the walls. The turrets fired on them, and the spiders fired back. Every spider to be shot fell to pieces, and the pieces were used in the repair of their comrades, making them not only fixed up, but larger and faster and stronger than before.

A large snake, hundreds of meters in total length, slammed its through the door. It was much too big to fit its entire body within the room, but a portion could enter. It spun around Nihilus' pedestal and laser fire erupted from its spine in every direction. A thousand energy crystals in its face lightened up, combined their beams, and a laser beam shot out. Using the beam, it cut the cage surrounding Nihilus's pedestal where his mask and crystal ball sat. The defense turrets were taken care of, and the poisonous gas had no effect on the droids.

Nihilus recognized the droid models as being ones made from the Star Forge. A model specifically made by Darth Revan at one point. However, Nihilus had not anticipated them moving. The droids had no will beyond basic instruction.

Nihilus watched the door. He waited. The droids had to have a leader of some sort, and he expected the 'leader' to walk in at any moment.

A sound drew his attention to the side, and what he saw astounded him. The spiders crumbled freely and their pieces started merging together, but not in the shape of a spider-droid. The pieces merged in a shape of a bi-pedal man. Or… rather a droid.

HK looked down on Nihilus.

"So, you have finally merged with the Forge." Nihilus concluded.

"Statement of confirmation: Indeed." The droid replied.

"Took you long enough, but then I have to wonder about your timing. You and Starkiller found the Star Forge again a while back, and only now have you completed your programming."

"Explanation: Revan's direction was contingent on timing. A requirement for this function was that the war with the Sith begin or that I have direct orders."

Nihilus' interest was piqued. "So the war has begun?"

HK revealed its palm and a light emitted from it. A small hologram appeared and on it was a map. More specifically, there was a point highlighted on the map. "The Sith Emperor, Valkorian, sends his personal invitation."


	4. Episode 1 - Beginning of the End Part 2

**Episode 1 - The Beginning of the End Part 2**

* * *

"That's enough." I say.

"Very well, master. Training session ending."

The holographic image of Starkiller disappears and I head over to the side of the gym. I sit down on a bench and apply a towel to myself to remove the sweat. Droid parts fill the floor. Some I tore apart, some I electrocuted, some I cut down. The Ravager droids will clean it up and recycle them into new training droids for me. I can't say I'm satisfied. The Ravager's training sessions are split into levels. Level one is basically fighting a child. I'm at level 420 where I am basically fighting dozens and dozens of droids that imitate, at random, various Jedi Masters and Sith Lords that have recorded fights on the holonet. If I am to surpass this level, then I have to defeat them all and still defeat the mirror-phase at the end.

The mirror-phase is the Ravager reflecting your own skill, strength, and speed into a droid when you first entered the level. It was years ago I entered this level. The mirror image of me is from my younger years, and I have yet to be able to defeat it.

I'm at a road-block. I'm at my limit, and I feel a part of me is falling back. I have grown in physical strength, but my speed has slowed. I am compensating with Force Enhancement, but then that comes with its own problems. If I truly wanted to I could surpass this level, but the idea is to fight fairly and equally. The Ravager cannot use the Force. I may use the Force to create lightning, but it is still a form of weaponary comparible to claws or swords. If I use the Force for physical trainign then that's just cheating.

I sigh and lean back. The one thing the Ravager cannot help me train with is the Force. Growing up that is what I had Nihilus for… have I stopped growing in that area since my Jedi days? Without a good training partner in raw Force power, what can I do about it?

This war to come… many have disregarded it. The Cartel surrendered some time ago, and all that is left is the Eternal Hand's portion of the rebellion. The conflict between the Mandalorians and Republic won't be a battleground for warriors, so much of the galaxy believes peace is around the corner for a short time.

Some of us know better. Tree-Hugger is training with his family. Koj is rallying support in the rebellion. I haven't spoken to Mandalore, but I know him. Revan knew him. They had talked deeply about the idea of the True Sith, and Mandalore swore to raise an army to fight it. HK is designed specifically to grow to the point that it can be a strong ally against the True Sith. Everything Revan touched is in preperation for that war, and now the same could be said for us. Mandalore is preparing the furnace of war. If the Sith won't come to us, then we will go after them.

But will I be ready?

This Valkorian was the one to train Nihilus and show him how to be a proper Void-smith. Who knows how many other Sith Lords Valkorian has trained to be just as powerful… and I, one of the most powerful Force users on this side on the coming war, can't compare to Nihilus…

A part of me dreads it. I don't know for certain how powerful the True Sith are. I know I won't find out until I meet them. But is it really hard to imagine that I might just be an amateur? I have trained my whole life, but I have also held myself back for ideals of various kinds. I haven't destroyed my body in the name of power… they have no such restraint.

I need to become stronger… but I don't know what path that leads down. Do I allow myself to do Force Enhancement to the point that I surpass what I am but risk destroying my body? Do I train my Void power more so it won't sap at my life as Koj has? Do I become the further embodiment of lightning? Hard to say where my strength can be applied to compensate for a weakness in an enemy I have never met.

Exhausted, I head to my cabin to sleep.

I pass a thought to Ashoka, 'Care to join me for a nap? I have trouble sleeping when you aren't there.'

I feel her not particurally pleased with the idea, while apologetic. Something is on her mind. I ask, 'What are you busy with?'

 **Just finishing up some requisition orders. The Ravager should finish uploading the shipment today and I want to be sure everything is in order. We have a bunch of orders to go through tomorrow and pick from. I also have to set time for training with my students. They are helping the locals with clearing debree, and I want to check on their progress. Then I have to-**

'Love, it sounds like you need a nap more than I do. Come on.'

 **I can't, I-**

'You run a shipment company with a revenue in the millions, because having a freight ship the size of a Leviathan class warship, complete with guns and one of the fastest Warp Engines known to man, makes for a lot of empty space to fill stuff in, a lot of security, and a lot of speed. Combine that with the self-efficency of the ship, and frankly its just the two of us where the only jobs we have is to tell the ship to do it, hand what to whom, and whose contracts for shipment we will agree to. If we ship goods worth millions with profit for only two people, no fuel or repair costs, and not much else in the way of assetts to take up money, then we have more money then we know what to do with. I don't even know how big our bank account is.'

 **And that runs into a lot of work.**

'Perhaps you missed the part where I said self-effiency? Ahsoka, all we have to do is point and say go, and the ship, literally, handles the rest. We do jump in and keep locals from being spooked by a giant ship appearing in the system, and we do face-to-face where I keep my mouth shut and be pretty. But there isn't much else to do. You seriously need to relax. And your kids are about as selfefficent as the ship. They work well together and are nearly at the stage of being a lesser Knight. At the very least they are Padawans that can be sent on missions without you."

 **But I want to be involved in their progress. You know that I have abandonment issues, and it is hypocritical of me to have been treating them that way for so long.**

'Then focus on the things that matter. Them, me, and hiring an accountant to handle the money aspect and hire another person to handle picking out contracts for you, and while your at it, hire a lawyer to guide you through legal waters before we get sued again.'

I feel Ahsoka relax a bit as she passes her mental exhaustion into the Force, and me. She is as tired as I am. Seems running a company with only two employees and a ship is more stressful than it seems.

 **Okay, how about this. I'll put off all this paperwork till later. I will check on the kids. Then I will join you for a nap.** She yawns and stretches. **I could use a nap myself. In return you hire the accountant. Try Ashley, she is good and I know you would like to see more of your family.**

'Yeah, except they are kinda busy right now.'

* * *

It was a beautiful world. A world with great oceans and deep waters. Most of it was made up of beaches, as only a small percantage of the planet had a landmass. It was enough to create fishing colonies, but little more than that. The people were poor, but not in poverty, as they easily had enough to feed themselves while exporting the rest. In the face of the galaxy they were poor, but to Koj, they were rich.

Koj listened to the sound of waves and felt the sand crunch under his feet. He looked out over the ocean and remembered the first rain he had endured outside of Tatooine. He had panicked and gathered every pot and pan he could find and yelled at his brother to help him. Varus looked at him like he was mad, but Koj was desperate. He did not want the water to go to waste. He did not understand that the water rain returns at regular intervals on worlds such as those.

Now to look at this world, he was simply amazed. There was no number of pots or pans or barrels that could hold this wealth before him. No number of mouths could contain the feast.

The sound of sand crunching behind him alerted him to someone approaching. He glanced back, seeing Cahjinawl. She was more focused on the difficulty of walking through the environment rather than the beauty of what it had to offer. It looked nice to her, but she wasn't awed by the benefits.

"The pilot wants to know how much longer we will be here." She said as she approached. "We've been here for days. I understand its big and blue and all, but I gotta tell ya…" She scrunched her face. "It's boring. The pilot guy told me to get out after turning 'bored' into a song."

Koj chuckled. And Varus wondered why he never missed him? His own daughter took on so much of him that Koj felt at times that Varus was there as well.

"We will return to the rebel army soon, I am just making my final decision."

Cahjinawl rolled her eyes slightly and turned around, with difficulty, taking each step carefully like on coals, to head back to higher ground.

"Well, do it a bit faster will ya? Oh, and the Mandalore guy sent a message. I don't think he is happy you are giving your allegiance to the United Systems Alliance."

Koj winced. That was not a conversation he looked forward to having. He owed Mandalore a great deal for his supporting his alliance, but Koj wasn't looking to sell his people out for deals and favors, but a future. Mandalore had turned his nation into a military state and was preparing to throw the entirety at it against the Sith Empire. Exploration was more funded than ever. (It may bring benefit beyond military, but everyone knew what his motive was. Finding the Empire.)

Koj could have considered the New Republic, but they were too busy squabbling over ownership of Coruscant and ancient relics. Koj could understand the symbolism, the ideal of peace and prosperity such a tradition could hold, but he also had come to understand the hard truth of casting aside ancient relics and traditions and values, and revenge. For it he nearly lost everything.

The United Systems Alliance was one not holding onto the past, or looking to bankrupt a nation for war. Koj would support Mandalore in his war, but he would not allow his people to follow him. In return for the Ghorfa joining them, they would receive a world of his choosing.

He felt he owed the Miraluka little. True, the blind people gave them a home, but it was with such a begrudgingly way that he actually felt more threatened than protected. Varus's open relationship had protected his people from the bulk of it, but since his brother stepped down, the open racism was becoming dangerous.

Koj gave the world one last glance before turning back.

"This one will do nicely."

* * *

Anakin stood in watch over them. The day was beautiful and bright. It was warm. For insects, such as the guests of his father, then it is the perfect time for activity. They were buzzing with energy and tended their homes and hives.

Just the sight of them made him uncomfortable, and he felt like a hypocrite for it. He was expected in a training session, again, where he needed to be able to force both Son and Daughter to submit to his power. If he was going to be able to contend with Valkorian, and if he was going to bring balance to the Force, then he had to be balanced himself.

For how could he make peace with the Sith and fix everything if he couldn't accept the Dark Side?

Anakin recalled his life and experiences. He had lived as a Jedi, did everything he could to be one, and he had a moment of failure. The day his mother died… his darkness came out. That… 'Beast', as he calls the dark side of himself, terrified even him. Ever since he had trouble holding it back, and every day it did, he felt like it was only becoming angrier… more irrational… Anakin believed that he had come to accept that the Dark Side is part of the natural Force because of Varus' influence. Varus was a Sith and had come to accept it, but was his own brand of Sith.

"You can hardly accept the Sith as what they are, or what they can be, if you cannot accept even your darker side." Darth Plageus said. The old man stood by him. "In the same way I sense you seek to distance yourself from my guests. I understand you are taught to see them as barbaric insectoids, but proof stands before you that these are far more than that, and yet you do not allow it to mean anything."

"But how can I just accept the Dark Side? If I let go and accept it, it will control me. I can feel it… it festers and grows like a dam. Then I won't be of the Light, nor would I be balanced."

The old man sighed, "That is a problem the Jedi cause for themselves. The more you refuse to accept emotion, the harder it is to control it when you finally experience it. It is, in fact, the opposite that is true. I remember my first time experiencing true rage. It was in my youth. Another youth struck a friend. I experienced tunnel vision, where every bit of focus I had, every emotion, every thought, was directed toward this confronter to such an extent that the world slowed in my eyes. The rest of the world disappeared. All that existed was the assaulter. I felt hot under my skin… As if my blood was boiling. My body was full of such energy that I felt it would move on its own, and to a fair degree it did. I felt as light as a feather. That first time, I had never experienced such a thing and it scared me afterwards. Not only the sensations, but the lack of control. I had beaten the assaulter severely." Darth Plageus glanced to Anakin briefly. "As a Sith, I learned to experience this sensation many times. To use it. To control it. Such a sensation is a natural mechanism of the body and is very valuable in combat but the control would only come with experience, with practice, and with error. Such is the way with all emotions. Why do babes weep so compared to the adult? Because pain and emotion is new to them. Woman have twice the emotional capacity as a man, yet they handle it better than a man would if here to suddenly find himself with such strong emotion because they have the experience in it."

Anakin considered what his father said. "Like the saying 'pain is relative'?"

"Partially, but that would be for the last part of what I said. A great beast protecting its young can take many arrows while the young can only take one. The pain is greater for the great beast because it has many arrows, yet so is its endurance and will through experience in life. So the young is crippled by its one arrow, while the great beast stands amidst many."

They fell into silence as Anakin pondered these things. Plageus seemed to recognize there was little more to say on the subject that day, and left it at that. "For what it is worth, my son. Your training is going well. You have far to go before you can heal yourself in the manner I can, nor can you force your authority over the Dark and Light equally and in great strength, but there is progress."

"Enough so to contend with Valkorian?"

Plageus scoffed. "Such is a fool's errand. I know none that can fight him. Myself included. He is truly a monster. I can barely call him human as he wasn't born to be one to begin with. He was born to be a weapon, a champion."

Anakin sighed and scratched at his head in increasing aggravation. Plagues chuckled, "I do not mean to burden you further. It is your destiny. Just believe in it and do as the Force wishes. Give your burden to it and do your best. It is not easy to accept the Dark Side as what it has become in this millenia, but rather you should come to accept it was for what it can be again, what it should be. For mercy there must be judgement. For forgiveness there must be retribution. For love and acceptance there must be hatred and denial. Hatred for things that are good is evil, but to hate evil..."

"I hear you, and I understand what you are saying... but I don't feel I truly understand."

"You will. You are surrounded by wise friends and powerful representations. The lessons, the pieces are already in you. It will come together and you will come to understand. None of the less, come. I actually came to bring you a message."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Your carriable-terminal… I believe you call it data-pad. It made some noise and I saw you have a message. The subject is mostly likely important. It pertains to the creature you call 'Nihilus'."

Anakin grew pale, stared at the ancient man for an extended moment, before dashing into the temple. Plageus raised an eyebrow and watched curiously. "Must be urgent. No tea then?"

* * *

Ahsoka looms over me in the dark with an irritated smile on her face. Her head tendrils fall down my chest. Her eyes bore holes into me with just as much accusation as her voice, "You're in my spot."

I smile widely and act innocent. I motion to the bed around me. "It's my spot actually. See these crumbs? They're mine. They spell out my name and everything. V-A-R-"

I didn't get any further before her eyes widen and she exclaims, "You got crumbs all the bed?"

"I don't mind. Besides, I only got it on this side. That's why I'm claiming it."

She openly glares at me. Her eyes narrow. "Your just doing this so you can get closer to the alarm."

Damn, I've been found out.

She continues to accuse me of all kinds of horrible things, "Varus, I put the alarm on my side so you would stop electrocuting it."

"I don't really see how that is my problem. Sounds like a you-problem. You're the one who can't get a zap-proof alarm."

"There are no alarms that are electricity-safe. You just need to stop zapping them when they go off."

"That's instinctual. Battle instincts. Just like it is natural to keep your enemy closer."

"Sounds like a you-problem."

"Touché." I chuckle. "But that does leave you at an impasse. You can either sleep in crumbs, or allow me to provide you with a few hours more sleep by killing it. Only… It sounds like a win-win for you if you let me get my way."

I grab her one of her head-tendrils and wave it in front of her face tauntingly. I feel her shudder ontop of me. Since the tendrils are connected directly to her brain, they are very sensitive. Playing with them gives her a headache, and stroking them gives her pleasure. They can make her purr like a cat stretching in the sun or reach a new high in more intimate moments.

In actuality they let her sense heat-sources around her, namely bodies. It's a natural predator trait for her like her sharp teeth. I find both equally hot.

"Except for the fact that you will be, spitefully, getting your way."

I smile widely, "Choices, choices. What you gonna do about it?"

Ahsoka continues to glare at me while having an aggravated grin, and I smile smugly up at her. Silence passes as the impasse continues. I'm having too much fun screwing with her, even as tired as I am, and she is enjoying it too much to just give in despite coming here just to sleep with me.

Ahsoka collapses onto me. I grunt on the impact and chuckle as she wraps her arms around me. My hands are pinned under her chest (not the worst place to have them pinned, but I would like to have them back, thank you). Also would be nice if I didn't have all of her body weight pressing down on my lungs.

"Gah, 'Shoka! Your squishing me!" I chuckle. I wiggle, but I'm effectively pinned. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll eat on my side next time. Pampered princess, I swear. You need to learn to eat on junk. I would think having slept in the wilds before that you wouldn't be bothered by something so small."

Ahsoka lightly snores into my chest.

"Oh, no! No faking it!" I shake her slightly, but she doesn't stir. I probe her mind and find it is a gibberish of images and nonsense. She is actually dreaming. I groan. "Crap… You must be more worn out than I thought. Well… this is uncomfortable."

I manage to slowly pry my arms loose and scoot myself up a little bit, but with her tight grip on me she ends up at an incline just as much. I look down on her in exasperation. "You realize this was supposed to be my idea right?.. Ah, well. Nothing to it. Ravager, bring me something to read."

The hours go by in contented silence interrupted only by the tapping of my finger on the datascreen as I turn a page, or a happy little sigh or grunt or snore from Ahsoka as she adjusts herself from where she has me pinned. I stroke her head-tendrils as I do so, and at some point in the middle of the night it occurs to me that this is the most comfortable I have ever been.

I have grown up surrounded in chaos. Peace, normalcy, quietness was something I despised. It made me bored. I thought too much when I wasn't moving, and those thoughts ultimately would lead me to madness. My outlet was being in situations that got my blood pumping as I risked my life doing things most would consider impossible were it not for the Force. Even my time as a Jedi, I couldn't allow myself to stop and think too deeply. I couldn't sit still easily. Then in the later years, it only got worse as I remembered who I was and had to come to terms with it. Peace and quiet is something I associated too much with Nihilus and his absence of all life and emotion.

I cannot remember a single night in my life first the first twenty-something years where I didn't wake up screaming in terror from a nightmare, or could be comfortable just… laying here.

Just laying here.

I consider the training I go through, and find that in reflection, I no longer have the extreme drive I used to have. Nihilus is captured. The Sith Empire is on the horizon, but I am just one among many that will be in the war to come once they are found. I can't carry the whole war on my shoulders. So why push myself to the point of destroying myself? So long as I can protect Ahsoka, that's enough. I'm already amongst the top-ten Force users in the known galaxy.

"Guess I could tone it down a bit." I reflect. "Perhaps even help you run our little shipping business." I chuckle. "Nah, you wouldn't let me do anything but stand there and look pretty. Cyborg-Hugger hasn't let me off the hook for convincing the kids that four by four is fish."

I don't know when I fell asleep, but I suddenly find myself awakened by my datapad ringing. I fight my instinct to zap it and make it explode in flames and smoke, and rather pick it up, tap it, and whisper to whoever it is, "I'm going to count to one and then you better be gone."

"Varus, where are you?" It's Tree-Hugger's voice.

Something in his voice alarms me and I force myself to wake up further. He has his no-nonsense voice up and actually sounds a little scared. "Tree-Hugger? What's going on?"

"Where are you?" He repeats.

"Coruscant, why-"

"I can't say over the line. Stay there. Give Snips a hug for me." He hangs up.


	5. Episode 1 - Beginning of the End Part 3

**Episode 1 - The Beginning of the End Part 3**

* * *

Tree-Hugger's entry into the Ravager was a welcome sight. Ever since he left to be trained by his father, we haven't seen much of him. He flew a small fighter designed for speed over all else. The cockpit opens and he climbs up and out. Ahsoka smiles widely and the happiness flows over me from her. She considers him almost like a second-father, as do I, so her feeling is respriprocated. Tree-Hugger smiles at the sight of us and gives Ahsoka a hug, while I shake his hand, and he bows to Ahsoka's students, but there is something about his smile and his stance that has me on edge.

The first thing I notice is his confidence. His power has increased with the training, but more so looks to me his self-confidence and how comfortable he is in his skin and position. He has always been a guy who is full of energy, but in such a way that it was as if he had trouble controlling it or had to hold himself back. He never much liked being the Chosen One of a prophecy and a lot of his self-control comes from his experience in tapping into the Dark Side. All of that is gone and he holds himself quite well, like the hero he is called by history.

The second thing I notice is the hesitation or tension. He has come here for a reason, and it rests heavily on his mind. So much so that he gets right to the point, "I wish I could say this was a social visit, guys. But something has happened, something that needs to be kept under wraps and only revealed to a select few."

Ahsoka's smile dims a bit, and she glances between him and the fighter. "Is that why you picked a racing fighter? And left it running? And with three seats?"

Ah, didn't notice that. I probe Ahsoka, 'You think he wants to take us for a ride?'

 **Maybe.**

Tree-Hugger nods and his composure darkens. He glances at me briefly before looking down, building up his resolve, and grabs me by the shoulders to look at me heavily. "Varus… Nihilus escaped."

Ahsoka gasps. Her student's both turn a shade paler.

As for me… well. The solid steel wall directly behind me crumbles inward with a snap. Sparks fly and metal flies everywhere. The wall continuously scrunches in on itself like a man had taken hold of it and crushed it between his hands, smashed it like a soda can, and slammed it into the ground. Blinding rage boils in my veins and flashes of memory from every moment in my life where I have vowed to kill him fill my eyes. But in the back of my mind I feel Ahsoka's worry and watchfulness for how I will respond. I breathe in and out slowly, and force it all away.

I open my Sith eyes. My voice is restrained in a whisper, "So… who screwed up?"

Varus?

'I'm okay. I'm in control. Just needed to smash something.'

Tree-Hugger explains, "Nihilus was being kept in a joint prison run by each of the galaxies major powers. Any of them could have had the access to free him, but I doubt it was by them since it could result in war. Or at the very least, a very costly mistake and public humiliation. No nation would want that. The security was run by a full battalion of HK-51 model droids programmed to kill anything or anyone, no matter what nation, that is there without going through channels or tampers with the goods."

"HK-51 droids are the highest model to date." Ahsoka inputs. "Nothing could have broken in. It must have been an internal operation."

"Possibly… I don't know the details. The cameras were hacked before anything worth note happened." Tree-Hugger smiles apologetically. "What I do know is that Nihilus stole a ship and isn't bothering to mask his IFF tag. Everyone knows where he is and is chasing after him. Who knows, they might have already caught up to him. I felt you guys deserved to know… and…" He looks at me. "Your help is requested."

I glance to Ahsoka. I open myself into our bond fully, and feel her do the same at my insistence. My passion to hunt him and kill him mixes with her desire to keep me from losing myself and the man I have grown into, the man she loves just as I love her. I close my eyes and consider everything. She is right. Giving into my vengeance will lose who I am, but at the same time hunting him is a part of who I am. No… it was not wrong to seek justice, but the method in which I chose. I chose to enter darkness, and seek power and isolation, because I believed it to be the only way. Ahsoka reminds me it is not wrong to seek justice if I do it within the law and I have the authority to do it. I remind her all the same that to me the two don't matter so long as I reach the same result, and that is something that has always concerned her. I will still accept going beneath the law if it means ending Nihilus, but I will prefer to do it lawfully if that option is available. That way I still have a future with her. The problem then is not about whether or not I want to, but whether or not I should. It involves her now just as much. She can stay and pretend it doesn't, but my absence will be an internal war for her every day she doesn't know or isn't there to be sure of how I am doing.

Tree-Hugger glances between us as we continue our internal debate. Ahsoka's students give us barely a glance. They are used to us doing this. For us it feels like minutes when it has really been a matter of seconds before we lower the bond to its normal level with a decision made.

I look to Tree-Hugger. "We'll come. If Mandalore or whoever is in charge of the area can give us the all-clear, that would be great."

* * *

We dock in with the Mandalorian fleet. There is barely time to settle the ship down and lock the clamps down with the flagship before I am receiving friendly suggested 'demands' to meet. I don't put up a fight, besides, we are after the same thing. Nihilus.

Why in the hell he would sit here is beyond me. It's on the border of the known galaxy!

The door opens to reveal an escort of soldiers waiting with Falcon-boy in the lead. Or should I say man? He smiles in greeting and extends his hand, I match it. "Hey Falcon. Laid any good eggs lately?"

"Plenty." He chuckles. "Got an especially good one here. It is good to see you, Ahsoka."

"You too Falon." Ahsoka gives him a quick hug. "These are my students, Slavian and Aramis."

The three shared a bow. Falcon smiles in greeting to them as well. "I have heard you two were nearly ready for Knighthood, how do you feel about that?"

"Nearly." Slavian rubs his head nervously. He had heard of Falon Grey. The young man was a hero. He was on the news fairly often for his work against terrorism and the Eternal Hand. "I feel I have learned much from my master, but Varus has showed us there is whole areas of the Force we could improve in, without going into Sith stuff. I don't just want to be a Knight, I want to be a strong one."

Aramis writes, "I feel ready, but I won't leave Slavian behind."

"Well, it sounds like you two are getting there. You may not the be two youngest Knights in history, but you will be pretty young when you do. Even younger than me. The experience you have gained has shaped you more than you realize. Not everyone gets trained by the Starkiller or experiences history first-hand and lives to tell about it."

"Falon, are you thinking of getting students of your own? You are a Knight and you aren't that much younger than me now." Ahsoka asks.

"Nah. I deal with stuff on a regular basis that would be too much for a Padawan to handle. If I were to teach, it would be in a classroom on my off days. If anyone here should be getting a student, its him." Falcon motions to me.

I feel Ahsoka's agreement. I am a bit older than her and I have matured greatly since the Force Bond with Nihilus was cut. Marriage helped some too. I've never had a student. Regardless, I shake my head solemnly.

"I think I would make a good master, but I can't. Not yet."

"What are you waiting for?" Falcon wonders.

"It's Sith tradition that you defeat your master before taking on students of your own, or be formally acknowledged by a superior of your own master. I have done neither."

 **You know you can disregard that rule, right? You are as powerful as any Sith Lord.** Ahsoka whispers in my head.

I reply, 'That's part of it. I just… I can't have that much more on my chest. I have so many people in my life, and I struggle to balance them with Nihilus. I no longer have the Force Bond sapping away at my every emotion, and I have you. But… you know my quest with Nihilus is set. With him in prison, I can fool myself into believing I can let it go, but now…'

 **Now that he has broken out, you don't feel you can trust anyone to be able to handle him but yourself.**

'Is that wrong?'

 **You are the expert on Nihilus, but you aren't alone.**

I sigh. She's right. Falcon gives us a glance as our faces express changing emotions, and he looks generally confused. However, he nods. "Its up to you, naturally. Now, if you would follow me?"

Falcon leads the way for us. Tree-Hugger enters the flagship now and we motion for him to follow.

"It is good to see you, Master." Falcon nods to him. "Now. Everything I am about to say is top-secret. Only a few know what I am about to say, and that is at the very top of government."

"Understood." Tree-Hugger says. We all echo him in our own ways.

"It started with negotiations with the Miraluka." Falcon explains. "The planet Forge suddenly shook, and the outer shell of the structure split apart from Forge. The outer shell reformed itself into a new shape in the make of a starship, and entered Warp only to appear at Nihilus' prison a few days later. All transmission from the prison was immediately cut, so all we had was the image of the Forge-ship. A prison ship, that is always being tracked, entered Warp and stopped here. By this time we had infiltrated the prison and found the security detail was destroyed, the mask of Nihilus was missing, and the orb containing him was empty. The Forge-ship also went missing and hasn't been seen since. Put two and two together and…"

"The Miraluka raided the prison and freed Nihilus?" Tree-Hugger wonders.

I scoff. "No. They would sooner blow it out of the stars."

Falcon continues, "That is what we think as well. Some third party has taken an interest in him. We found Nihilus here and he was surprisingly submissive. Turned himself in. We have been questioning him, but Nihilus hasn't been particularly in the answering mood. Or in any kind of mood for that matter. Torture and psychological attacks have no effect."

"That's him alright…"

"Turned himself in?" Ahsoka asks. "Why would he turn himself in? He was just on the border and could have disappeared, but he chooses to sit here and wait for you? Has that spirit lost its mind?"

If only. Nihilus has something in mind. He has made the first move, and he wouldn't if he didn't have a game plan.

"We've been asking him, but he has only given us two things." Falcon and us enter a room where there are dozens of monitors and officers. On the biggest screen is the image of a giant vacuum sealed box where a man sits still as stone. The man looks long dead from exposure to a vacuum. His body was inflated and puffed up with ruptured blood vessels all across his body. His eyes were blood red.

The eyes flickered toward the camera and a dark shadow moved beneath them.

"The first thing he gave us was a star map with systems not on our database. Hundreds of systems beyond the outer rim, with many of them marked as Sith Empirial owned."

Tree-Hugger gasps. I freeze. Ahsoka stares wide-eyed. "Where did he get that kind of information?!" Tree-Hugger exclaims.

"Don't know. He won't say. The list of questions just gets longer and longer, but so far the map checks out with what we have been able to dig up from the Starkiller-clone's old ships log."

I walk up to the image of Nihilus and look at him. "He gave you a huge bargaining chip. The one thing we need most to win the war, and he just gives it to us for free. He has an angle."

"That's something we agree on."

"What's the second thing he gave you?" Tree-Hugger asks.

"A demand, actually." Falcon hesitates before turning to me. "After giving that to us, he said he has much more to offer but would only talk to you."

Everyone in the room looks sharply at me, and Ahsoka most of all. I feel her fear in my mind, just as I feel a chill go down my spine.

"He will only talk to me." I repeat. Falcon nods.

"He hasn't said a word since. Like I said, torture and other methods don't have an effect on him, and Mandalore agreed to bring you in. We would have come to you if you hadn't already been coming to us."

 **Varus… I don't like this. I'm scared.**

'I feel the same, Love.'

I look back at the image of Nihilus and think it over. Falcon says, "We wouldn't be asking if it wasn't serious. He has already proven the containment we had before wasn't sufficient. If you ask me, even now it isn't. He could break out of that box at the slightest whim and kill all of us here, but he is patient because he expects you will be meeting with him. I… I don't think he's the prisoner here."

"Because he isn't. You are. He is holding you hostage against yourself and only a few of you realize that." I state. "I know how you feel. I was in the same position once… The crystal was enough to hold him against his will, but this proves that any amount of tampering will break him out. Do you have any more Tree-Hugger?"

Tree-Hugger shakes his head.

"Then go to Koj'Ineh of the Ghorfa, he should know where we can get another."

Falcon considers it a moment before nodding and barking out orders to get him. "Koj should be back on Mandalore in negotiations with the chief. He's been breaking deals and contracts and the boss is not happy. However if he has the only tools we can use to contain this threat again, then we should be able to ignore that for now."

"Still doesn't give us enough time. Nihilus' patience has its limits. Its ridiculously long, but it still has limits. It already took use days to get here, and it looks like the Sith Lord has been sitting in there for a while."

"I agree with Tree-Hugger." I sigh in resignation. "I'll go."

The intensity of the moment, between me being there and being in the next room, is enough to terrify Ahsoka to no end. So between the time it takes to comfort her shaking nerves and receive follow up orders from Falcon (who I am going to guess is in charge of what is going on here, or at least is going to be the one engaging with me), and for useless safety precautions to be set up, it takes ultimately half an hour before I step into the same room as the bastard who shaped my life into the dark path it would ultimately be.

The moment I enter the room his eyes lock onto me.

A chair is placed in the center of the room facing the Sith Lord. The door shuts and locks behind me. I sit down on the chair and immediately the box holding Nihilus opens and collapses into the floor plates. Nihilus is now only 5 feet in front of me.

Nihilus just stares at me. I reciprocate it. Not like there isn't much I have't already said to him, or called him, or insulted him with. I can't be bothered to come up with any insults at the time. I'm fresh out of new ones.

Might as well go for an old classic.

"You look like shit."

Nihilus gasps for air with such intensity I almost hear his ribs cracking. His body violently implodes as the air pressure inside his body changes with the air pressure outside, and blood explodes from his mouth. He coughs on both air and blood for a long time before he finally pukes it up, coughs and gasps some more, and slowly comes to a more normal rhythm of breathing.

Ahsoka is about to be sick just watching this. I told her not to watch, but she's stubborn.

Nihilus returns to looking at me as though none of that really bothers him in the slightest. There is a gallon of blood pouring from his mouth and we might as well be here discussing what holofilm to go see. Not a romance fan? There's comedies. How about super hero ones where the big bad villain loses and good moral people win? I should take him to one just to spite him.

If only reality was the same way.

"Yes." Nihilus says at last after the pool of blood pouring from his mouth overflows from his chest, to his lap, to the floor. Really not a pretty sight. He looks up at the camera wishfully. He sounds so disappointed. "That is what happens when you put a living person into a vacuum for days. Quite inconvenient how its dead now… It would be so much nicer if I could get a fresh one, but I don't think they will be obliging."

"They're heroic like that. Goody-goody people aren't into the whole live-sacrifice thing."

He returns his gaze to me, and smiles. It is quite creepy with the blood filling his mouth and covering his teeth. "You have grown well. Not just in body, but in spirit. You look well fed and it appears you have kept up with your training. Your body has become stronger, into the body of a man; and your temperament is much stronger and sound than it once was. Minutes of silence and before you would have burst out. You have become… delicious." He breathes out hungrily. Just as fast as the emotion appears, it disappears behind the empty void of his face and the fake smile.

"No, thanks to you." I have half a mind to shove my marriage and friends in his face as having credit to my well-being, but that would only provoke him. He would target Ahsoka. I don't want him within a light-year of her if possible.

"Hmmm." He mutters. He looks up at the camera. "You have held to your agreement, so I will cooperate. Ask your questions, and remember, I will only talk to my apprentice."

"Former." I mutter under my breath in futility. I know my place. I have yet to defeat him. I still feel tied to him enough that I can't move on and get an apprentice of my own. I still feel like the child beneath him. Marriage hasn't changed that. It only gives me a person I want to hide behind.

After a while, the door opens behind me, and a soldier enters and hands me a headset. I place it on my head as he leaves.

"Testing, testing. Are you reading me?" I hear a man say.

"I read you." I reply. "Falcon-boy won't be the one working with me here?"

"I am formally in charge. Falon is my second. I am Admiral Rex."

"Good to meet you, T-Rex. You have questions for me to give our mutual guest?"

I listen as the man relays his first question. Nihilus waits patiently.

"So, how did you get out of prison?" I ask. "Who helped you?"

"I could have escaped on my own. The crystal held well for a time, but I had figured it out long ago. Rather than break out, I chose to wait patiently for… a very specific event I had predicted would happen within this generation. The one you believe 'helped' me did not break me out. He broke in for the sole purpose of relaying a message."

"Again, who?"

"While I am willing to reveal this, I won't until the time is right. The times are shifting. The pieces on the board are moving. The King piece has shown itself, and the identity of the one I am withholding is preparing for the battles which will follow. To tell you who helped me would only take away one of your greatest assets. No. The better question you should be asking is not how I broke out, nor who helped me. The better question you should be asking… is why."

"Okay. Why did you break out? What was this message?"

Nihilus nods in approval. "Much better questions. First let me answer the latter. The message was the star map I gave you, personally provided by Emperor Valkorian."

I gasp, and I feel and hear the same in the ear-piece as well as from Ahsoka.

The Sith Emperor sent a person to break him out and give him a star map?

"That doesn't make any sense!" I hiss. That isnt anything I'm told to say. "Why would the Emperor give you a star map to his own territory?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Nihilus wonders. "It's because the time for war has come. Valkorian is allowing us to make the first move, and that is precisely why I have come. I waited for you on the edge of the Outer Rim, just between our known space and Imperial space, because the time has come. I'm here to help."

I shoot up from my chair. "The hell you're helping us! You belong in the prison to rot!"

He continues to stare at me. "Despite what you may think, our objective is the same. You want the Emperor. I want the Emperor. So consider our interests… aligned."

"You don't get the right to demand such a thing! You are not helping us!"

"And you don't have the right to refuse me. I very much doubt right now you are answering for the Clans or anyone else. You may be wearing a headset, but I am not fooled into thinking that what you are saying is coming from them."

I grit my teeth angrily. I pick my chair up from where it clattered onto the floor, and slam my butt back onto it.

Nihilus continues, "Do not be fooled into thinking you can handle the Sith without me. I single-handedly wiped out the center of the galaxy at the peak of its power, and I can name at least four individuals in the Sith Empire even I cannot defeat at my greatest. Hm… Three. Three individuals."

"Tsk." I scoff. "Name one."

"The Dread Lords." Nihilus answers without missing a beat. "A team of Sith who exist as one. Their mental bond is comparable to a team of Miraluka Keepers given every steroid you can name. They created the off-shoot of the Eternal Hand you have been facing by doing nothing more than sitting there and mentally dominating every individual on the planet and in orbit. Every person affected was instantly made into a thrall to their service. You take a fleet to fight them, and you will find that very fleet turned against you. No barrier can hold them back. Only someone who's power is nearly equal to all six combined can hold back their ability."

"Then we bombard them from orbit."

"How stupid are you? Not only would that put you in range of them and their power, but even if you succeed, you would only be pouring salt on a wound. The Sith are holding on to the sins of the Jedi when they bombarded them from orbit, backstabbed them, and tried to commit galactic genocide. If you so much as hint at repeating that, and you prove them right in their eyes. The result is an enemy twice as fanatical and bloodthirsty, and half as forgiving, as what you would have started with."

"He's right." I hear Tree-Hugger take over the mic. "We can't have a repeat of the old war."

The mic is taken back to Admiral Rex. This time he transmits into the whole room so Nihilus can hear. "Varus. That's enough for now. We have a lot to report. We will continue this later."

I breathe in anger and breathe out hatred for the monster before me. I feel Ahsoka's comforting presence, and rely on it for what little foundation I can muster. I stand, turn, and leave.

"I will see you later, my apprentice." Nihilus says.

I snap and shoot a burst of energy into the room just as the door closes. The burst does nothing more than ruffle his clothes and hair.


	6. Episode 1 - Beginning of the End Part 4

**Note: Sorry for the long time it has been. What with the holidays and everything that goes on in my life, taking the time to sit and write has been… difficult. Entire weeks have gone without me writing whereas I am used to writing on a daily basis. I wish I could say when the next chapter is, but I don't know.**

 **This episode is proving a bit longer than I expected, but it has a lot more stuff to it and something very big that needs its proper pace to be done right.**

* * *

 **Episode 1 Part 4 - The Beginning of the End**

* * *

Blood pumps in my ears. The very blood in my veins boils. My skin becomes inflamed. And in all of it the hatred… the burning, vengeful, hate that had played out every day of my life returns like an old friend. All I see beyond the door is Nihilus.

Yet just as quickly as the mindset of Starkiller comes to me, it just as quickly is contained.

I am not that way anymore. I don't deny Nihilus still has my life, with all of its friendships and joys, by the throat. But like Ahsoka showed me by example, the greatest revenge to have on someone of such evil is to not give them what they want. But… if I don't, then he will lash out.

I shake my head. This is the same problem I have always had. Facing Nihilus has been like being stuck between a rock and a boulder for as long as I can remember, and the only way to get any work against it has been to embrace it. Only that has made it worse by bloodening my hands.

What do I do? To go against him would be what he wants, yet I know I cannot flee. To try to escape him would bring about the events of Coruscant again. The whole reason he lashed out back then was because he wanted me back. He is selfish. To him, I am everything. In the same way, I cannot just give in and do nothing. That would only allow his evil to fester.

The question becomes a circle of questions, each leading to each other in my mind, driving me further mad and in my anger I roar and my power lashes out against the walls around me. I don't know how long I am there contemplating the impossible equation, but warm arms wrap around me and a reassuring presence enters my mind. I find myself sitting on the ground holding my head in pain, crying in aggravation and anger and frustration.

"Ahsoka?" I wonder.

"It's okay."

With those words, much of the turmoil I am in disappears. Like a true battle, there is nothing left in its wake. I am not angry, but nor can I feel happy even that she is here. It was inevitable. Even a moment with Nihilus has left me emotionally exhausted and empty inside. I'm just… tired.

"No… It's not." I reply. "They cannot trust him."

"Of course not, he's a monster."

I hear Tree-Hugger enter the room, "And despite that… he is right. We don't have what it takes to fight the Sith."

"The Sith are not all-powerful. They are flesh and blood like us." I argue.

"Yes, they are. This war will be about every gun, every cannon, every starship we can get. But you and I both know, Varus, that the center of this war will be decided by the ones with power. Think about it. Sion, a Sith that dies to no weapon. The Dread Lords, Sith able to mentally dominate entire fleets and armies. Valkorian, an immortal Sith who can hand out power to non-Force users as though that power was chump change and expendable. And those are just the ones we know about. Against something like that… the only weapon we have is you, Ahsoka, Falon, Obi-Wan, and me, that I know will rally amongst the Jedi, and I promise none of us are up to par with that. We may gain more allies that will answer the call to war, but do you truly know anyone that can compete with that?"

"Aren't there any Jedi that can fight?" Slavian asks.

Tree-Hugger sighs, "Fight, yes… But… People taught balance and restraint against ferocious warriors who embrace power fanatically… There is little comparison."

"There is none." I agree. "Mustachio is especially gifted, but he is as mortal as any of us. Even Windu and Yoda were better, and they both fell to Nihilus on Coruscant."

Tree-Hugger looks uncomfortably silent, and slowly everyone looks to him. He tries to avoid our attention. "What?" He asks at last, innocently.

"Master?" Ahsoka wonders.

"Yeah…" He scratched his chin nervously. "Master Yoda isn't dead."

"What?!" Everyone, except me because I don't care, exclaims. Even the mute padawan is stunned.

"Look, it's a secret only the highest Masters know. The fall of Coruscant broke him, and it has taken years to help him. He was… insane… when we first found him. The grief was too much. He is also old… very old. Almost as old as Valkorian, now that I think of it, and he is at the end of his natural life."

The news both saddened and made Ahsoka happy. On one hand, a master she still respected and grew up with was alive. On the other, he was broken.

"Seriously?" I scoff. "That little frog-thing is as old as Valkorian?"

"Nine-hundred years."

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. "Okay, I'll admit it. He looked good for his age, even if he was a wrinkled toad-ow!" Ahsoka smacks me upside the back of the head. "But that leaves Falon Grey. There are many Jedi stronger than him, but his skill to see the time paths makes him unique."

"What about Koj?"

"He'd help." I say without hesitation. Koj is powerful. He was empowered by Valkorian, and has become stronger than any member of the Eternal Hand. But stronger than a champion of Valkorian? Maybe, just maybe. "That still leaves me, Tree-Hugger, Falon, Koj, and a few Jedi as the only force-users with any potential to go toe and toe with them."

I put my head in my hands and sigh in despair. No one says anything. They don't have to. The uncomfortable truth is that we need Nihilus on our side if we are going to stand a chance against the Sith.

We stand in silence for some time as the reality of the situation sets in. I will have to work with Nihilus once again…

Tree-Hugger arranges with the Mandalorians for rooms. We had come here on his fastest ship and the Ravager is a day or two behind us. With words of encouragement, and comfort, he takes the first room. The padawans take the second after some alone time with Ahsoka. They are worried and are unsure how to feel about the idea of Nihilus not only being free, but joining us in the war, as well as the idea of the war starting soon. With her experience of having been in an intense war at their age, she is able to explain to them what it is like and how they need to stand strong both as individuals and together. They need to depend on others when they can and depend on themselves when they cannot.

It is another hour before she joins me in our cabin, and I spend the time sitting on the bed, for a lack of other furniture, remembering the years I spent under Nihilus and trying to remember a bit of the old mindset I used to have. I have no desire to be the hatefilled Starkiller once more, but the mindset of Starkiller was able to anticipate Nihilus better than Varus ever can.

Ahsoka enters our cabin to find me stewing. She takes off her outer robes and puts them in a pile with my jacket. She starts to strip more, but stops herself and sighs. I smirk, "Sorry, Love. We didn't bring any night clothes with us. We were in too much of a rush."

"I know, I know. That's fine, we'll make do." She smiles. Its fake.

"Hmm," I mutter. "What time is it? I feel so tired."

Ahsoka crawls onto the bed beside me, crawls, over, and says suggestively, "Its only six. There is plenty of time."

I look at her out of the corner of my eye. Normally, if she were coming onto me, I would respond in kind. She's beautiful, sexy, and insatiable; all while knowing exactly how hot I think she is. However now is not the time. My mind is still processing the situation and want it entails, and my every instinct tells me she is fake. From her smile to her closeness. Its all fake.

"Normally I would like nothing more than a night with you, but I am tired. Just being in 'his' presence for a short time is enough to leave me drained. Besides…" I stroke her cheek and lean in to whisper. "Your faking it."

Her façade slowly crumbles before the worry and exhaustion comes over her as well. While I may not be the most intelligent or socially inclined man, I can still tell when she is forcing herself. It is also predictable, not so much on her part, but that is simply the impact Nihilus has on people. Nature abhors a vacuum. In the same way, I grew up getting louder and more rebellious to compensate for his lack of all but existence. With his presence he can drain all joy from a room, all light from a sun, and life from whatever it is he touches. And I am the one thing he can't stop touching. I would almost think he is a homosexual and pedophile if he had the slightest interest in something so mortal. It is only natural for Ahsoka to despise the emptiness created in me by him, and to find a way to spice things up.

She leans into my shoulder and I feel her mental barriers give away. We had reflexively put them up when Nihilus was having an effect on me, but now we have to make a conscious effort to let our guard down.

I feel her pain. It's not what I thought it was, not entirely. Her phobia of being left alone is kicking in again, and it is because the one who set me on my path down the Dark Side is here, so she fears I will leave her behind. My quest for vengeance is not something she can agree with, and it would split us and yeah… It's a stupid fear even in her own mind, but I would be a liar to not admit the fear is not warranted. So no, her attempt at allure is not fake, it is forced. She wants to feel she hasn't lost me.

In turn, she also feels what coils inside me. It is too intertwined for even myself to make sense of, but she has a knack of understanding things I don't see.

"You still feel his slave…" She mutters. "Even after all these years a part of you is bound to your quest just as much as you try to escape it. How can he still hold so deeply into you? His bonds have been cut. We have had no contact with him, nor has he done anything, since his imprisonment. Even before, while you kept him hidden on the Ravager, he was complacent. And even before that, you went years without any involvement with him."

"Some things go a deep as the soul, Love. He made sure of it."

"And I haven't?"

"That's why it is so hard. You both have. I hate him for what he took from me. I hate him for what he made me into. I love you for teaching me to forgive, to heal, to move past what he made me. But then I fear him because I cannot kill him, because he will never let go of me, because he will go after you. You're the only thing that keeps me from becoming what he wants me to be, so I know he sees you as a threat."

"Much as a girl loves being put on a pedestal, you aren't so pathetic that I had to hold your hand every step of the way. I was just there for you. And not like your entire world revolves around me, you know. I've had stuff of my own to deal with."

"Can't a guy dream his wife's world revolves around him?"

"Sure you can. That's why we got the alarm you keep blasting off the shelf."

I chuckle. One of these days they will invent an alarm that is lightning proof. "I chalk that down to PTSD or reflex."

"PTSD is a bit stronger than just a reflex." She chastises me.

"Whatever." I continue to chuckle.

We sit in silence for a time. I still know Nihilus is there, so much so it is as though he is physically manifest in my mind, but for a time I can force myself to forget in her embrace.

* * *

Were Nihilus a prideful man, he would have felt honored.

The ship that contained Nihilus was little more than a frigate. Its purpose was speed and firepower over all else, but the contingent of support frigates, assault frigates, corvettes, interceptors, and support drones made it more than just a wolf, it was a pack that had gone after Nihilus. Over the course of time from his surrender to when Varus caught up, Mandalorian forces increased to include two dreadnaughts, five assault frigates, seventy interceptors, thirty corvettes, and two hundred support drones.

When Mandalore arrived, that force doubled.

Nihilus looked on Mandalore. In his mind, this was merely formality, yet it was due formality. Nihilus had already said twice what his intentions were, but there was something to be said for 'seeing it for yourself'.

"Correct." Nihilus stated. "As stated, my intentions are to aid you against the Sith in the war."

The only reason Nihilus spoke to Mandalore was that the man had been cooperative enough to have Galen in the room. Or Varus. Or Starkiller. Or Keeper. Or whatever his apprentice was calling himself these days.

"Why should I believe a word that comes out of your mouth?"

"You shouldn't." Nihilus replied. "I would consider you a failure of a political leader if you were to take anything said as face value, more over from a man you don't trust. And let us be honest. You don't trust me."

Just as abrubtly as Mandalore entered, he left, followed by Galen. Nihilus closed his eyes and allowed time to pass. To one such as him, that had lost all concept of time, a day was a thousand years and a thousand years was a day. His patience was limited only by the pulsing hunger he endured. It was by the increasing drain on his sanity and life that he had any concept of time anymore, and this was changed greatly based on how fed he was.

He hadn't properly fed in a long time, but the crystal, thankfully, kept his hunger at bay. Were he to have a crystal of his own, he might consider imprisoning himself in it just to get away from his hunger.

Consider it, but not do it. It was nothing but a stalemate against the hunger. Not good enough.

The door opened, the cage released itself, and Nihilus opened his eyes to find Mandalore before him and Galen standing in the corner keeping his distance. An hour might have passed, a day, two days since their departure. Nihilus couldn't say.

Mandalore said, "In return for your full and complete cooperation you will be returned to your prison to rot for eternity."

"I have many problems with that. The first being that is not a more favorable deal than what I have had to endure to begin with. Second, the prison was a waste of time. I endured it for no other reason than to wait. When the time to wait was over, I left. Third, I don't recall asking for a plea or deal. I intend to fight the Empire with or without you, and for your sake it is better to take advantage of me."

"You're right. That is not a better deal than what there was before, but then I am not the bargaining type when it comes to genocidal monsters."

"Nor are you capable of making a deal with me." Nihilus replied. "Do you even grasp how easily I can unleash my full power and consume you? Take this ship? Begin the war with the Sith on my terms?"

"I do. Which is why in the case of my death, this ship will be locked down. The controls will be destroyed. And it will be pushed into a black hole."

Nihilus found himself… hesitantly fearful, and respectfully surprised. Or rather the memory of such emotions. The man knew he was reaching his head into the lion's jaws, and he was fine with it. In turn, he had inserted the knife into the lion's jaw so if the lion ate him, it would die. Nihilus would not die, but he would find it very unpleasent to be in a black hole for who knows how long. He would escape, but it would still be uncomfortable.

Nihilus smiled. He had always liked this man. Mandalore was entertaining.

"Then allow me to offer what you will allow. From my time in the Sith I came to learn a great deal about them, as well as about Emperor Valkorian. If you will not have me fight, then allow me to provide information."

"That goes without saying."

Once more, Mandalore left abruptly. Nihilus closed his eyes.

* * *

"Can we trust him?"

"No."

"Then allow me to expand on the question. Can we trust that if we let him help us, that he will not turn on us and wipe us out?" Mandalore rephrased.

Anakin Skywalker, Falon Grey, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and two other Jedi Masters exchanged glances. A number of Mandalorian officals were also at the table. Varus stood in the back of the room watching, as did Boba Fett, Rex Voda, and Izthark.

"He has attacked innocents and committed genocide too many times to count!" Someone said.

Obi-Wan frowned and gulped before stating, "That is not in question. What is in question is whether or not Nihilus is good to his word. Even hired guns and criminals can have a sense of professionalism in their work. In this case, I believe Nihilus' professionalism is in question."

"Exactly." Mandalore nodded. "Let me assure you. No one has been at war with Nihilus longer than the former Admiral Kandosi, myself, Bastilla, and the apprentice over there. I am not taking this situation lightly. But a circumstance of war is mercenaries and hired guns. Jedi, I am sure you remember a time or two you had to side with criminals to get the job done, and in those cases I believe myself right in saying that you knew they were criminals, but you trusted them in so far as their professionalism allowed."

Several men argued back and forth, while Anakin stayed silent and unsure. The argument was valid on both sides. Nihilus was useful, and Anakin knew Nihilus to be professional in the extreme. But at the same time this was Nihilus they were talking about. He was #1 on the galactic most wanted list for a reason, even after being imprisoned. Anakin had nearly lost his son to the monster, so it was personal. But on the other hand he had once been inhabited by Nihilus and knew just as intimately the kind of person Nihilus was. Nihilus was absent of deceit in the way robots or animals are. The part of a person that made them liars, that made them flawed and 'human' didn't exist to a Force spirit.

Finally, a Jedi looked to Varus and said, "You were once the apprentice to Darth Nihilus. Can you be an advocate for his character?"

"I can."

"Then can he be trusted to hold to any agreement made with him? Will he turn on us?"

Varus avoided eye-contant and looked haunted as he reflected on his time with the Sith Lord. "Nihilus has made agreements with several factions in the past. He has aided people when it suited him. He always gets something out of it, but he never breaks the contract. Even when it inconveniences him he will hold to his word."

Anakin nodded. "Nihilus is one to hold a grudge, and to uphold promises to the letter. He told me on Coruscant that if Varus forsakes him, then he would take something from me in kind. Five years later he possesses my son, and thanks to the Ghorfa priest we managed to exercise him. Luke is fine, by the way, but my point is that Nihilus doesn't forget his promises… and he keeps them."

"How do we know he hasn't already made an agreement with the Sith Emperor!" One yelled. Others nodded in agreement.

"You mean to say he is a double-agent?"

Varus argued, "Nihilus would never do that. He despises them."

Mandalore ended the argument with a wave of his hand. He said, "As the apprentice and Jedi Master have the most experience with the Sith Lord, I think we can take from this that Nihilus is professional in his work. What concerns me greatly is that you said he 'always gets something out of it'. I have little doubt he has an agenda in mind, but can you shed some light on this?"

Varus said, "Nihilus is a single-minded Sith. He has always had an agenda to complete the work of the Triad against the Sith, but his more constant agenda is dealing with his hunger in some way. He never goes anywhere or does anything without it, in some way, being affected by how hungry he is. Sometimes he demands sacrifices as payment. Sometimes he joins a battlefield just to feast on everyone in it. Sometimes he gets recruits or supplies for them, or research toward a way to end his hunger. If he has put himself out to help us, then I think he is doing both. He seeks to complete the work of the Triad, and to satisfy his hunger at the same time. That will make him especially 'tunnel-visioned'."

"Then why insist so heavily on you being brought to him? That sounds like another agenda." Mandalore wondered.

Anakin answered this time. "Nihilus consider's Varus to be his 'last meal' of the Miraluka. Would a starving man ever give up the last bite to the most satisfying meal of his life?"

"That has to be the creepiest way of describing me…" Varus muttered. "And accurate…"

"It doesn't matter!" Someone said. "What matters is whether or not we can trust him."

"Can anything be cross-referenced for accuracy?"

"Most likely not, we lack original intel on the Sith."

"We should send him into a black hole! No deal!"

Mandalore sighed inside his helmet and let them talk. He made his decision, but allowed them to throw arguments back and forth to see if anything said would be valid enough to counter him. In the end, it was only going back and forth.

"We cannot trust him." Mandalore decided. "I will be sending him to another prison, one without transports for him to use in the vacuum of space. Even if he manages to escape, he can't move at Warp speed." Varus nodded in approval. "It will take millions of years for him to get anywhere."

After the meeting, he asked Skywalker to stay and talk with him alone. He waited until the others had left.

"We're going to use him." Mandalore declared in confidence.

Skywalker stilled and stared. "You lied to them?"

"Yes. The fact is, we don't have proper intel on the Sith or on Valkorian or his assets. I have also sat in council over the Jedi's ability to counteract the power of the Sith's magic… and it comes up amazingly short." Mandalore looked out the window at the small fleet around them. "Jedi, right now the Mandalorian Clans are at the peak of our strength. I have turned every industry toward fueling war, and every credit towards this battle. Win or lose, we can only afford a war for two years before the Clans will be bankrupted and must start giving up assets to the banking clans. I cannot afford to hold back. We have to use every card we have at our disposal."

Skywalker felt his breath hitch. At first he consideredt he possiblity the man was insane, but then something on a scale like this would require the assent of the clans. Among which the largest was the Voda. With their selflessness, it wasn't really a far-fetched idea that the largest power in the inner sphere would bankrupt itself to fight a war.

The Clans would become a third-world power, lose everything, their people would enter a depression, their economy would collapse. This was the kind of thing people went to war to prevent!

"Why tell me?" Anakin asked.

"Because I need your help. I have Jedi under me, but you are special. You are the only one who can keep Nihilus contained. He can't touch you, but you can touch him."

Seeing as how he had the Jedi's full attention, the former soldier continued, "My plan is to give Nihilus the body of a man set to be executed tomorrow. Nihilus will then wear plated armor over every part of him and have nothing revealing. No lightsaber, and his mask will be secured. He will be assigned to be your bodyguard, when in reality…"

"I will be his captor."

Mandalore nodded and faced the man. "You catch on quick. What I need is intelligence and a direct counter to the Dread Lords. If Nihilus can keep our fleet from being turned against itself, then that will be enough. If he proves useful and professional, we may employ him more."

"What about the rot?"

"Rot?"

"Any body Nihilus possesses will decay. The process begins within a few days and after a month it is as though the body has been dead for a hundred years. People will notice."

"Hm…" The clan lord sighed. "I may have to bring in a number of capital punishment prisoners for him then… Not to feed on, but to be spread out over time." Anakin gulped. Mandalore replied, "I don't like it either. Even as prisoners and monsters they deserve better then to be host by… that. Death is suitable for them. If the opportunity arrives for Nihilus to possess the body of an enemy, then that would be preferable. Otherwise just do what you can to keep it low key."

Silence set in a moment as Anakin considered it. It didn't sit well with him, but Anakin looked inward towards the Force. He felt the Force was in agreement. The Force told him that Nihilus had a part to play.

"I will under one condition, and after one question." Anakin declared.

"What is the condition?"

"I will not keep it a secret from my family, and from my former padawans."

"Absolutely not!" Mandalore roared.

"My wife is Padme Amidala! She knows what the words 'top-secret' means and won't say a word! And Nihilus already, as it is, will only speak when Varus is present so he WILL know! Better to know from me than find out the hard way. And he is mentally connected to Ahsoka, and married, so she will know when he does."

Mandalore growled and glared at the man through his helmet, but as always when he interracted with the man, Anakin didn't back down. Mandalore saw a hint of wrongful pride in it, but then that was to be expected when you are told for years you are a glorious prophesised one. And being a Mandalorian, they respected a bit of pride.

"Very well. And the question?"

"What do you think Valkorian is trying to get out of this?" Anakin asked. "It can't have eluded your notice that the intel of a star map was passed to us from Valkorian directly."

"Simple," Mandalore considered. "It is the opening move. A way of saying 'I'm done hiding. Come for me, or I will come for you.'"

"But opening moves also tend to come from strategists only after they are sure the trap is set or they can keep the fight going at their pace."

Mandalore chuckled darkly. "Then we best turn it to our pace."


	7. Episode 2 - Racing to the End Part 1

**Episode 2 Part 1 - Racing to the End**

* * *

While it was Mandalore's intention to execute the criminal via Nihilus's possession the next day, he decided to put the time table off till later because of the rotting issue. It was less humane to force Nihilus onto multiple death row criminals just because he wanted to get started early. Mandalore himself felt how sick a prospect it was, as even death row criminals didn't disserve the death of Nihilus and having their body used as clothing, but it was necessary to save lives.

Anakin found it disturbing, but he had no say in it. He only was given the opportunity to make the most of it by being Nihilus' captor.

Ahsoka felt sick at the idea.

Varus didn't take it well.

Visas sat down in front of Ahsoka at the cafeteria table without preamble or warning, and started eating. Her adopted child, the very child Varus and Koj pulled out of the rubble in the Miraluka civil war, climbed in beside her and nervously started eating. The soldiers all around frightened her.

Ahsoka looked up from her terminal and smiled. Visas was, in ways, both a former rival and friend. Ahsoka appreciated her bluntness. Less so her lack of tact, but Visas was a woman you could never doubt your stance on. Ahsoka found it odd that she could consider Varus, Nihilus, and Visas equally honest. Varus was just bad at lieing, Nihilus hated lieing, and Visas couldn't be bothered to hold back her opinion to save people's feelings.

"She is getting big." Ahsoka giggled as the child made a mess of herself. "How old is she?"

"I don't know how old she was when we rescued her, so I can't say. I want to say two. I've chosen her birthday to be a month before the civil war."

"Good choice. Though I wouldn't say you chose it because of the war, when she is older and you explain it."

"As if I will " Visas grumbled. She leaned back and groaned. "Koj'Ineh was supposed to take her off me long ago, but the lazy ass alien can't get his act together and be a proper father for once!"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. Despite the blind woman's groaning, she knew the woman had a soft spot for the kid. "Admit it, you don't want him to adopt her."

Visas didn't respond, just continued to grumble.

"And from what I hear from Squirt and Ash, their relationship has improved by leaps and bounds. Koj isn't so stoic anymore. I know this may seem bad, but him going through his Eternal Hand phase might have been the best thing for him. In his own words: he cannot hate anyone after seeing the depths of hatred the Abomination has. Without the hate and anger in his heart, he's become I would say happy and loving."

"I'd pay a million credits to see that man with a drunken smile " Visas smirked. "Oh, I know why don't you take the kid off my hands?"

Ahsoka stilled in horror. A dark memory, an old pain, hit her and for a moment she struggled to remember to breathe and blink. It wasn't until Visas was snapping her fingers in front of her that she realized she wasn't. She gasped for air and felt tears sapping at her eyes.

"Damn, honey. Didn't mean to freak you out that badly. It was a joke. Just a joke your right, I quite like the brat." Visas smiled proudly. "Just the other day she cursed out the mailman. She had no idea what she was saying, but I was so proud." Seeing Ahsoka was still having trouble composing herself, Visas frowned. "Okay, seriously. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-I-I'm fine." Ahsoka gulped and pushed the pain away. It was not the time or place to remember to handle it.

"No, you're not." Visas raised an eyebrow. "But if you don't want to say 'nothing, that s fine. What you up to?"

"Managing some finances." Ahsoka continued because of Visas' curios face. "We have a lot of money, and live simply, so most of what we have goes into loans and non-profits."

"Uh huh. If you call living on a leviathan class vessel 'simply'."

Ahsoka chuckled. "It took me two weeks to argue Varus into basic furniture. He's content with bathing in rivers, eating and sleeping on open ground, and doesn't get cold at night. His natural electricity keeps him hot all night."

"Hmmm." Visas hummed sensually. "I bet it does." She laughed at Ahsoka's simultaneous glare and blush. "Heel, girl. I tease."

Ahsoka glared at her a moment longer, declaring silently that it had better have been nothing more than a tease. (Not that she would argue the point that he is very warm and cozy.) Ahsoka continued as if nothing was said, "And... when you have a transport the size of a small city, entirely self-sufficient, and capable of one of the fastest Warp speeds in the galaxy against only one paid worker... well..."

Visas eyebrows shot up. "How much?"

Ahsoka smiled cheekily. "I could buy a moon."

Visas whistled. "Care to throw a little of that my way, honey?"

"Pass."

"You could at least think about it first! I mean c-"

"VISAS MARR!" A Mandalorian barked from the doorway.

Visas continued without so much as batting an eyelash to the yelling or approaching angry soldier in greenish-brown armor. "I mean come on, not like the Miraluka economy is doing good. We are still stabilizing. Half of my work hours are off the clock just because we can't afford it."

"Visas Marr!" The soldier approached her. "You were supposed to have met with me two hours ago! As the ambassador from the Miraluka, you are to discuss with me the combining of our fleets."

"One second, dear." Visas said kindly to Ahsoka before turning to the soldier. "What fleet might you be referring to? We dismantled all of it to construct our capital. That s first off, second, I see no reason to give a big fuss over telling you our answer over the course of days and days and doing anything formal like going through pointless motions when I can just as easily give you our answer in five minutes."

"You know how this has to be done!"

"Honey, I have spent my life in espionage, politics, spieing, and leadership. I know exactly how this little game is done, which is why I don't give a damn. The Miraluka's answer is, and I quote: 'I can't be bothered to help the largest military empire in our current galaxy when we are barely able to keep up with a single planet's GOP. They can handle themselves.' That s the unofficial statement. The official statement is much more polite and lengthy and would take an hour just to dictate, but I feel the initial response catches the point well enough."

"I'm sure we can work something out. That s why there are negotiations and terms and-"

"And that is why I am going to say that anything you have to offer, anything you have to provide, in order to gain what little Miraluka support we actually are capable of offering, would be far far above what you would be willing to provide. At minimum you would need to pay us ten times what we provide you, just for the fact that we need it more than you."

"Don't you have the Star Forge?"

"Not anymore. It ripped itself off our planet actually just a few days before this whole chase started. By the way, our Council, including myself, did not take well to the implied (and read between the lines) statement that we would use our Star Forge to free Nihilus. You should be more concerned with who stole it from us. We'd sooner blow up the station Nihilus was on and leave him in the vacuum of space than rip our planet apart from its colossol factory with earthquakes kill a hundred people just to free him. Seriously, how dumb are you people?"

Ahsoka looked nervously between them. The Mandalorian was aggravated and aggressive, Visas was as casual about this whole thing as if they were discussing fashion. They were both very stubborn in their own ways.

She let them continue to talk back and forth while she continued her work. From information Koj had given her, the supposed strength of the Hutt economy was a lie. The average person was little more than a slave with nothing and the every day businesses were in poverty. The Hutt worlds were just short of a third-world country run by greedy warlords and slavers. As such she corresponded with him in regards as to how she could help.

Turns out there were a lot of ways a person with money could help. Or even everyday people could help when they were willing to give up a credit or two with a bit of research.

So much so that it made her feel like her time as a Jedi could have been put into better use. She didn't regret being a Jedi. But by building a private business with Varus, and using his power and his ship to her agenda, she was in a position to help so many people that she couldn't even keep track of it. Perhaps Varus was right they needed an accountant or somebody to help her.

She sighed. Once more her thoughts were drifting towards Varus. She loved him, and she ached for how much pain he was in right now; but she could exist without him every second of every day and he would most likely say or do something he shouldn t and hurt her in the process. Especially right now with them needing space. Ever since they got the news they would be having Nihilus' help, he had locked himself in the training room and every time Ahsoka exposed her mind to him yesterday, all she got back was incoherent feral rage. In turn she just she needed to get over the fact that she would have to fight Nihilus and his influence.

Then there were her students. They were a great comfort to her. Her time with them was for her own sake and sanity as it was for their practice. They were bright, innocent, and wise in their inexperienced way.

Ahsoka sighed. The war to come would either make them stronger to the point that they would be Knights, or break them. She could only hope to help them endure to make sure it s the latter. Something she had been balancing in her head was whether or not to teach them her 'Fighting Trance' technique. Slavian was a defensive fighter while Aramas was a strategist, and the deeper trances required teamwork. They naturally complimented each other and it would be necessary for the war. Like Sky-guy had said: The Jedi lacked the power and tools to compete with the Sith.

Healing and battle meditation was good for large scale conflicts, but should a Sith stumble upon a lone Jedi, they were severely lacking. Her students would need something to help them survive.

She weighed the risks and concerns in her mind and decided it would be good to be done later. First she would need to explain the theory today, then tomorrow could be spent practicing the first steps. It was a very dangerous technique if the trance was taken too far. It also had great potential if one could go far away and be able to pull oneself out of it. Thanks to her bond with Varus, she could go pretty far into it.

Ahsoka read over another summary, this time of someone who wanted supplies for a school, when her thoughts were interrupted by the child at the table slammed her little fists down and yelling at the Mandalorian, "GO SUCK A GRENADE!"

The response was three silently stunned people. The first in mortification, the second in shock, and the third in beaming pride.

'Yeah, Visas, like you're ever going to give her up ' Ahsoka thought.

* * *

Ahsoka and her students meditated, practiced, and drilled in a training room on the Ravager. There were multiple rooms for this for Nihilus' former agents beside Starkiller. All of them had a containment shielding to keep the latent Force energy from damaging the ship. Starkiller's had the largest shielding, which was probably why the ship hadn't been damaged lately.

While they meditated, Ahsoka watched them and considered again whether to have them learn her technique. They had grown up as Jedi. They grew up comfortable with the Force and learning to be stronger with it. Under her tutilege they had learned to be more than just Jedi by forging their own path, though they were content to take the normal one. With Varus' help, they had learned to become stronger. Under both Ahsoka and Varus, and at times Anakin, they had learned wisdom, courage, and something uncommon for Jedi: The necessity of power.

Without wisdom, power was corruption.  
Without courage, power was useless.  
Without power, whether physical, spiritual, or politicial, all the wisdom and courage in the world would only amount to so much.

They had learned the beginnings of Sith power, as it was all she was comfortable with. Through it they learned to mold the Force within themselves and increase their stamina, their strength, their dexterity, their focus. Force Augmentation was only the beginning of Sith power, and with a Jedi's wisdom, could be used at a comfortable level without it making their bodies sick from overexposure, or hurting them when they push themselves too far.

Now if they could learn her 'Fighting Trance', the only thing left for war they would need to know is Jedi Battle Meditation, then they would be able to highly ranking officers in the military, and powerful Jedi Knights.

They had taken the Jedi path of the protector, rather than of the scholar. Learning this would let them overcome their peers and become prodigies of their path, just as Falon Grey was.

"Alright. That's enough." She decides. The two stop meditating. "Now, Slavian, Aramas. As I asked you to prepare for, today we will begin formally learning the Fighting Trance technique. I learned it from Daughter, Skywalker's sister, and as she is a Light Side demi-god, then it falls under the category of being a Jedi technique. It does, however, have reprocussions and dangers. It is not a balanced technique, but an extreme Light one."

"How does that make it dangerous?"

"As you know, a Jedi opens oneself to the Force and has a selfless relationship with the universe. However, opening oneself too much can leave us losing ourselves in the physical sense. Think of it like a bag being ripped too much and spilling out."

She let that sink in. These are things she had already discussed with them at one point after she started developing the technique, but now it was important that she stress it out. "In order to use the technique there are two people needed, and a Force bond between them is required. One to use the technique and the other to meditate. I trust you two have a strong bond?"

They both nodded. Ahsoka knew they did. They had developed it for years as a team. But it was important they acknowledge it to themselves.

"Now that is what is required. The technique itself has a science of sorts."

She went on to explain how it worked, what it did, and why it was possible.

The Force was the collective consciousness of all that came before. When a person died their energy continued on, and the energy was imprinted with their memories and their soul in a sense. As such the Force had access to a lot of memories and experience ranging from chefs, to thieves, to holy warriors, to the annoying phone salesman, to leaders, to anything else one can imagine.

Normal Jedi meditation was to communicate with the Force and expose yourself to it. It was dangerous to expose yourself to more than just the shallows of the Force's power lest you be consumed. However Ahsoka found that combined with attachment, it was possible to dive in deeper and expose yourself to more of it. The deeper the attachment, the deeper you go could go. Because the attachment would act as a lifeline for you to pull yourself back when otherwise you would drown unsure of how to return.

Once they went over the theory behind it, she had them enter meditation again, and this time go a step further. As teacher and students, she also shared in their bond. Not near the extent she did with Varus (who was still closed off to her annoyance), but plenty for what she wanted.

The day passed in practice. She allowed them to go no further than the shallows, as they took turn back and forth entering the technique. They failed to accomplish anything, but then it was still the first day.

With their training concluded for the day, they left and Ahsoka noted that she had a message from Sky-guy earlier. He was looking for Varus in the first message, and in the second said he found Varus still locked in his training room. The second message was from minutes ago.

Ahsoka halted and felt her temper rise. Two whole days?! Without further ado, she stomped her way to the training room. Anakin waved as he saw her, but she ignored him and ordered the Ravager to open the door. She stormed in and barked, "Two days?! How big of a tantrum do you plan on having!"

She looked for him and found Varus sitting against the side-wall. He looked like a mess. He had been training himself into the ground for two straight days, hadn't slept, hadn't bathed, and hadn't eaten. Whatever rage had overcome him was gone now and he was exhausted surrounded in broken droids.

Yeah well, tough. He did it to himself.

"Tantrum?" Varus growled.

"Yes! Tantrum!" Ahsoka yelled. "Nihilus-" Just the name was enough to bring a spark of rage into Varus' eyes. "is free! I don't like it! You don't like it! Nobody likes it! Get over it! Adults accept situations or find a solution. Only children lock themselves away and scream and beat their fists and feet on the floor!"

"That is not what I have been doing!"

Ahsoka just smirked. Anakin looked between them and wisely took a step back. Followed by another step. A third. He quietly shut the door.

"Oh?" She counted on her fingers. "First, you lock yourself in a room. Second, you close yourself off from me. Third, when I touch you mentally all I get back is rage. Fourth, you spend two days in training. Fifth, you don't just spend the days in training you don't take care of yourself because all you can think about is Nihilus and something happening that is beyond our control! And I know you well enough to know you have spent the entire two days screaming your voice raw, your hands bloody, and your eyes the fiercest red I've ever known you to have! Explain to me how this is not qualifying as a childish tantrum!?"

Varus yelled and slammed his fist into the air. A burst of Force energy completely pulverised another droid. Ahsoka didn't blink, but stared cooley into his eyes. "What then do you expect me to do with all this unending rage?! I've tried containing it! I've isolated myself to not hurt people! But all I can think about is him and you!"

Ahsoka blinked in surprise. "Me?"

"Nihilus is selfish! I want you in my past and him in my-" He grabbed his head and pulled at what little hair he had. "No, ***** wrong way! I want him in my past and you in my future and he will never accept that and he will kill you and there is nothing I can do about that! Nothing! I can't defeat him!"

Ahsoka stomped up to him and barked, "Don't put this on me!"

"I'm not! I'm not blaming you."

"All I hear is 'I can't' not 'we'! I am your wife, unless you decided to forget that little detail. I may not want you to go down this path, but I will not abandon you to it! I am not your weakness that you can put in a box and protect as though I can't defend myself! I will not accept you becoming his again, but I will also not just sit back and do nothing to defend myself like a primidone! News Flash: Your life doesn't end and begin with me! I am not able to handle the burden of being your god! If I die, I expect you to mourn, and then I expect you to live on when you are done! As for what to do with your rage, I know I married a Sith, but you learned to control yourself over the years. Use that! Prove to yourself, to me, and Nihilus that you have grown since you left him!"

Enraged silence fell over them. They had plenty of fights. Their first encounter was as enemies. An omen if there ever was one. They had fought or been rivals for as long as they knew each other, and after they were done fighting they found incredible passion and learning, enough to last years till now.

This was the angriest Ahsoka could remember them having been at each other in a while. Not since a certain visit to the doctors.

Varus's rage slowly seeped away from him, but it still burned in him like hot coals. "I have not forgotten. I love you. But how can I not see myself as having to protect you if you are weaker than me?"

Ahsoka growled and before Varus could react, she threw her robes at him. He pulled it off himself in time for her outer-shirt to land on his head. "Wha? What are you doing?!"

"Showing you up." Left in less confining clothing, Ahsoka stood in the middle of the training circle. "Ravager! What level has Varus not beaten yet?"

"Four-twenty Mistress."

"Still?" Ahsoka scoffed in an exaggerated manner. "I would think you would have beaten that as long as you have been stuck on it."

Varus glared, feeling the pang of the insult in his heart. "Don't do this "

"Don't show you up or don't hurt myself?"

Varus didn't answer.

"Ravager! Start!"

The moment the first droid appeared, Ahsoka closed her eyes and let herself fall into her technique. It was a bit of a gamble. If Varus refused her and kept himself closed off, she might fall too far. Thankfully he quickly opened himself back to her and she had the foundation she needed. She had no doubt he would, their love was stronger than some fight.

Varus stood to the side and watched. Exposed fully to her, he felt his rage seep away by her strength and resolve. In its place was humilation. He sighed to himself. He had really handled himself poorly. He couldn't help being angry about the situation with Nihilus they both knew he would be. Even now Ahsoka told him in his heart that having some time for himself was fine. He had gone too far and needed to control himself.

As the fight progressed, Ahsoka disappeared more and more into herself until Varus could barely feel her inside her own body. Instead it was as if she was a woman possessed In reality she actually was possessed. For all of her talk and technical jargan for her technique, Varus simply considered it Force Possession. What else would you call it when you allowed the Force itself to possess your body?

It was at this point the ending stage of the level entered.

The final stage always was the same. The Ravager takes the imprint of the trainee at the moment they completed the previous level and uses that as the final challenge for the next. This way there was a steady progress.

Starkiller in his garb as a Sith Apprentice charged Ahsoka, and Varus felt his heart clench in fear. At this high of a level even the toned down injuries would be enough to be very real even life threatening.

He would have to pull her out of this before she got hurt. The fact was she would never win. Not just because she was Ahsoka but her opponent was himself. Her opponent was Starkiller in his prime. Varus knew himself intimitately, and so he knew she would never-

His head clunked across the floor.

For a long moment he stared at his own head looking up at him. His own surprise mirrored each other, whether it be the living or dead one. Slowly his eyes drifted up to his killer. she was exhausted to the point of collapse, sweayinv, covered in bruises, and if she had hair it would be wild.

He fell in love with her all over again.  
"Is it odd that the sight of my own decapitated head has me turned on?"

Ahsoka collapsed, panting. She no longer could hold herself up. "Downright... creepy."

Varus laughed, and picked her up. "Good. Scared i was starting to be normal there."

* * *

She's right. Damnit shes right. The last almost a decade Ive been learning control, and the moment my past comes to bite me in the arse, i lose all of it.

But what to do? To fight him is to give him what he wants. To surrender is no better. To ignore... and he will kill everything in my life until only he remains and despite Ahsokas feelings, she is my weakness. If he kills her... even i cant comprehend how far i would go, or how many bodies i would pile up to kill him.

And just like that im back to the beginning... the same sequence of questions that have plagued me relentlessly and feuled my rage with a dose of madness, insanity, and mayhem.

I watch her sleep in my arms and wonder like i do every day what i did to deserve her, because only Koj's God knows. I certainly have no idea. Despite my original intentions we passed out on contact with the mattress. We had worn ourselves to the bone and, i dont know about her, but i couldnt sleep without her. Rageful or not.

All because i had to fall into a primal rage.

"I really am an idiot." I mutter.

"Its 'kay... youre my idiot."

I roll my eyes. "You had to be awake for that part." She giggles.

"Im sorry." I say into the silence. "I didnt control myself like i should."

"Apology accepted. Im Sorry i attacked your pride... i had to, but i didnt feel good about it."

"Meh. Who needs pride anyway." I shrug it off. I am stung, but its the price of fighting with her. "Although..." i smirk wickedly. "If it means i get to witness my own goddess of war killing me, again. I would happily let u take a swing at my pride."

"With spiked gloves?"

"And spiked high heels." I chuckle.

She purrs into my ear before laughing as well. "Youre right, that would be funny to watch. But no... Varus." She looks at me seriously. "We need to talk."

"Four words ive been told to dread..."

"What is it that you want?"

I look at her wirh a grin. "Well you for starters. We can discuss the details tonight, or in five minutes if your up to it."

"Pervert." She rolls her eyes.

This coming from her? Im not the one who bites. "Not as much as you..."

"My point was about the Nihilus situation! You know what i mean! Men..."

I sigh and consider it. What i want... the answer that comes is not what i would have expected to consider in twenty something years, but with her here in my arms, how can i not? "To run. Take the first Ravager out of here, find a nice country out in the middle of Nowhere, Arizona, and live in a house with a dozen kids that by no means require any input from me... and i guess you can tag along too."

She rolls her eyes even as she smiles at my antics.

"But I cant... Nihilus is loose and no one but me can contain him. I cant run away and let the galaxy face his wrath."

"You've been fighting him for your entire life from childhood to adulthood. No one else can claim that. No one else has fought him as long as you have. Don't you think its time to hand the reigns over?"

"To who?" I wonder. "Name one person who knows Nihilus as well as I. Who has a chance to actually kill it." Just as Ahsoka opens her mouth, I continue. "I'm told the key to finding a solution is trial and error. Anyone who fights him will only do what I have done,and fail. Then someone else will have to spend twenty years failing repeatedly. I've spent my life doing it, but im also the one closest to the solution."

"And just what is the solution?" She asks.

I look away. I've tried stabbing him in every part of his etheral body with all kinds of weapons. Lightsabers, lightning, metal, and even jammes my fingers in his eyes and stuffed grenades inside him. His etheral form absorbs everything Nothing damages him. Lightning will poison and fill his body because he is Void, but even after being thuroughly lightning-poisoned he isnt hurt.

I would think then the solution is throwing him out of an airlock. He just flies back in.

Kill the person he possesses? He finds another.

"The solution is in his missing journal." I answer. "He has dozens of journals, and in them he references research into many things. Life, death, holocrons, the Force, areas that were a vacuum of the Force in what he would later call Void. I've come across a few details, but I've come across entries referring to the creation of a holocron in which he leaves his greatest work and his legacy. I've looked in his chambers, all over the Ravager, backtracked to his birth home (which he wiped out of all life later), and his old chambers in the Jedi Temple. Even the holocron he planted in the throne room, but that thing is just designed to pilot the Ravager and give it a mind. It doesn t store anything more."

"And you have done well to get this far." She tells me. "But I can name people that can defeat Nihilus. Son. Plageus. Sky-guy. HK."

"HK I can see " I admit. "Eventually. Son I am iffy about. Plageus, definietely but wont leave his house. Tree-Hugger has bigger issues to worry about."

"And besides " Ahsoka continues. "You have already said it would work to stick him in a black hole."

"It wouldn't kill him!"

She puts a finger on my lips to quiet me. "No, but it would defeat him. The galaxy knows he is a problem, so research will be put into finding a way to kill him. If a solution is found, they can be tested within the containment. Even if Nihilus is there for a million years and is forgotten, he will be so vastly weakened that he will be crippled when he does return, and the galaxy will be much stronger able to handle him better."

"You can't mean that."

"Love, a million years ago people thought germs, viruses, and plagues were demons. Technology has grown to the extent we can do things people never even imagined. Nihilus is not a true demon there has to be a scientific basis for his existence, even if we don't know what it is right now. In a million years you don't think people can figure out what that is?"

I sit up and start to shake my head. I I can't. Ahsoka knows my feelings, and after looking at the clock, gets up as wall to get ready for the day. "I can't " I mutter. I sit on the edge of the bed and hear the ruffling of clothes as she finishes changing. She has many times more sets of clothes than I do, I am content with but a few and many of which have some level of plating on them. I feel more comfortable with armor hidden on me. With war on the horizon in our lifetime, Ahsoka has started doing the same. It is less visible but there is armor plating hidden in her clothes around the vital areas.

I put my head in my hands.

"Love." I hear her say. "Is it about killing him or defeating him?"

"What does it matter? The ends are the same."

"No, they aren't, and that's why you are where you are." She replies. Ahsoka sits beside me. "He wants you to think the only way to win is to kill him. Its written into the Sith Code. Through it, you will never win until you obtain the power to win, and in order to do that you have to enter the lonely, darkening road of revenge. But to defeat him is just as good in the end, and at times even more effective."

"More effective?" I scoff. "So to defeat him but leave him alive to murder more is more effective?"

"No." She shakes her head sadly. "Its as simple as this. If you kill him then he wins even in defeat because that is what he wants, and because it would be on his terms. But to defeat him is to deny him victory in his defeat and to make it on your terms. You can kill someone, but still lose. But to defeat him if you truly want to win, is to deny him victory in it."

I I can't deny she is right. This is the very question I have been grappling.

"Is this something from your Jedi Code?" I wonder.

"Hmm. Not explicitly, no, but the reality of defeating your enemy rather than killing them is something encouraged and taught."

"And we wonder why evil always finds a way. Love, the only way to get rid of evil, the true evil that never forgets and never forgives and never stops, is to get rid of it."

"Varus, my whole point of this is, that we need to come to a compromise. Alright? I don't want to be at odds about this."

I look to her and nod.

Ahsoka stands in front of me and puts her hands on my shoulder. She whispers, "What I want is a lot of things. I want you to stay away from Nihilus. I want him to leave you alone. But most of all I want us to get through this alive, whole, and together. So if it means you being around Nihilus, then I will compromise if it means you will let me be beside you as we go through this because you may think you are protecting me and keeping me uninvolved but Varus, I am already involved. Just by loving you I am involved. That's why if you try to keep me away then I will defy you."

I sigh and remove her hands from my side. I hold them in front of me and look at them. They are so much smoother than mine, but still with little scars and calluses from her own battles. She is as much a fighter as a healer inside. Which is why her saying such isn't a surprise to me at all. "Of course you will."

"I don't expect an answer right now, we have time. But I need you to think for yourself something." She stresses out to me. "Do you want to kill him? Or do you want to defeat him?"

Even after she leaves our cabin to get on with her day, I sit here thinking. I go and eat when I am hungry. I run when I feel antsy. I wrestle soldiers when my daily tradition comes to train. Inevitably, I find myself staring at Nihilus through the ray-shielded glass of his personal cage. I never stop remembering. I never stop feeling. I never stop thinking. When my thoughts threaten to drive me mad I play a prank on Tree-Hugger, Ahsoka, Falcon-boy, or some unfortunately random victim. Tree-Hugger and I share stories, theories, discuss the ideology of the Force, discuss war, and share a drink while reminiscing about how our wives drive us equally insane yet are our angels so we tolerate it. Ahsoka and I share smiles, touches, and if the mood hits us, a whole lot more than that. Or we might argue over something of lesser importance such as when I used dish washing soap in the dish washer rather than special detergent or soap or whatever. I still don't get it. But all the while in the back of my mind, as I see more and more ships join the fleet, I know the time will soon come for war. Soon the day will come when Nihilus' cage is opened and he is unleashed.

I continue on with my days in this routine. Moving. Thinking. Feeling. Eating. Sleeping. Waiting.

No answer comes.


	8. Episode 2 - Racing to the End Part 2

Note: Sorry for the lack of continued updates. My life has... taken a drastic turn for the difficult. Not difficult as in bad, but just... a lot is going on. I am receiving independance soon, as I was declared mentally handicapped years ago. I am taking exams for computer certifications actually tomorrow. My sister is getting married. I am leading a guild on WoW. I've found myself having a social life once more as the in-laws are INCREDIBLY social people! (They have social gatherings on a daily basis! For various purposes and groups.) The fiance is cool, and he has sparked my old love of modeling Warhammer 40k Eldar models. So that has been something cool to do together in what spare time we have together, as we are both night workers.

* * *

The room is dark and the air is heavy. I barely remember to breathe as I sit and wait. I would rather be elsewhere anywhere else doing anything else but sitting here and waiting. But I have to. It is required of me to be here, whether I like it or not, and even if I were to refuse I doubt I would. I have been there to witness every progression in Nihilus' journey for twenty years just as much as he has been there to train me. Is it to stay in the loop? To pay respects to the dead? To the living? Or perhaps I'm just here for morbid curiosity. I wouldn't put it past me to be masochist about this.

Who doesn't like a bit of self-torture and pent-up frustration in the morning? I think that is why they invented morning people.

Ahsoka squeezes my hand gently. 'Breathe, Love.'

I close my eyes and grunt. I lean back and try to relax, but the sight of the execution chamber in front of me is unsettling. I have killed so many in my life that, at times, it has felt like I was just watching a holovid from a small theatre while my body did all the work by instinct. Adrenaline and strong lethal instinct can do that. Now I feel I am back in a theatre about to watch someone die only now in a literal and physical sense.

It's very unsettling.

'I hate this.'

'I can't say I'm much a fan of this either.' Ahsoka looks over to see another Admiral enter.

The fleet being gathered has continued to grow in size exponentially. Mandalore really is pulling all the stops on this. The Clone Wars bankrupted the Republic and USA, before they both diverted their debt to the Dominion and Old Republic for starting it, because it was a large scale war that lasted years. Mandalore doesn t look like he wants a war that lasts years, but days. No way this fleet can be funded for too long and its still gathering. Just where is he pulling it all from?

Koj and Squirt arrived last night with a small fleet and are resting. Koj still had a fair bit of the rebel alliance loyal to him and willing to follow him into this war despite him turning over the majority of the territory to the united systems alliance. I don't know what he is thinking joining the Mandalorian fleet after backstabbing them, but they came to some kind of deal or whatnot I don't know. I'm not a politician. Maybe this kind of bullcrap is a daily thing for them.

But judging from the rising tension among the soldiers of the fleet and the officers, we are getting close. There are whispers of the final fleet coming in.

Then we can begin.

Almost on queue, Mandalore enters along with a few of his clan leaders. The door shuts, and the lights go out leaving us in total darkness. The light from the execution chamber does not extend far.

Mandalore stands in front of us all and says, "What you are about to witness is not to leave this room. So far as the galaxy is concerned, there was an execution. Nothing more. Anyone who may be of a weak will or stomach, leave now." No one moves. After a moment the door behind the execution chamber opens and a man enters wearing a tightly-wound vest and surrounded in soldiers. He is strapped to the chair. The soldiers leave.

"The criminal is named Billy Milligan. He is guilty of hundreds accounts of murder and necrophilia. His particular methodology earned him the high-profile name 'Dollmaker'. Because he would pour preservatives down the girl's throats until they choked to death, and he would bathe them in the same solution, until they were basically well, dolls. Before he would dress them up on display or have his way with them. He has been scheduled for execution these coming months, but a fortuitous opportunity has presented itself. As you have all been individually briefed, Darth Nihilus has offered his services in the war. I intend to take advantage of him. In return, he needs a body to inhabit to be of the most use. As such: Nihilus will execute him and take his body."

After nobody said nothing, Mandalore hits a button and says, "You may now begin."

The door opens to reveal the bloated, green, rotting body Nihilus possesses standing in front of it. Nihilus holds his mask in his hand and after entering the room, places it on a table to the side of the room. Tree-Hugger enters in after him and stands in the corner of the room.

Nihilus places his hands behind his back and walks around the man in the chair. He inspects the man. In turn the prisoner watches him back, and is highly disturbed by the sight of him. Most everyone in the room here seems disturbed as well. I'm used to the sight of the rot Nihilus can bring to a body, yet still be used without pain or attention to injury until it is literally falling apart. Other people not so much. Depriving him of oxygen in a vacuum for so long really did wonders for his looks.

Nihilus finishes one full, slow circle around the execution chair before looking up at the one-way glass. "He is satisfactory."

I clench my fists.

Nihilus stands directly in front of the prisoner and sits on his heels. He looks at the prisoner for a long moment. I'm used to the idea of him sitting there like that for hours, but our employer would get impatient, and I think Nihilus is aware of that as he immediately starts talking.

"You were probably expecting your executioner to be an anonymous man in a black mask. With features like mine, you probably prefer a mask anyway. None of the less I see no reason for it. I am not scared of your so called retribution from the grave or any witnesses holding this against me. The former is an impossibility and in regards to the latter they already hate me, so the point is moot. My name is Nihilus. Would you like to know why I got the name?"

The prisoner leans as far back in terror as he can, now knowing who his executioner is. He seems more interested in running than knowing why Nihilus is named such.

I, however, find myself curious. I have never known why Nitheal changed his name to Nihilus. I always just assumed it was a way of showing transcendence. To say his former life is passed and he is a new creature. He's never told me, directly or in his journals, and I've never asked.

"The word 'Nihilus' is a derivative of the word Nihilist, which is a man that believes in the philosophy of Nihilism. It is the belief that life has no intrinsic meaning or value, that a single person, or even all people as a whole, are insignificant, without purpose, and unlikely to change in the totality of existence. In short, it is the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless."

Nihilus punctuated the final word by reaching behind his head and stabbing his fingers into the back of his neck. Blood trailed down his fingers and back. He inserted his fingers deeper until they were up to the knuckle in flesh. Slowly he pulled his own throat apart like one would peel open a fruit, and he did not stop there even as blood sprayed out all over. He ripped his body apart to the shoulders before grabbing his own skull and, after briefly cracking it with a squeeze, peeled it open just as well.

All this time the prisoner is screaming in horror, Tree-Hugger looks like he is going to vomit, Ahsoka puts her head in her hands to avoid the sight, and more than half the room has exclaimed profanities from utter shock. Including her.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in the room who watches this without flinching.

Nihilus rises from the body like a man climbing from a tight cloak. He grabs the prisoner by the head, and swallows his face. The prisoner screams even louder than before and frantically tries to shake himself free, but the damage has already been done. Nihilus, like a mist, enters into him through his mouth, nostriles, and eyes until all of him is inside and all at once the man stops moving or shaking. He blinks slowly, closes his mouth, and looks at us. His face impassive. "It is done."

Several of the people in the room, including Ahsoka, all but flee from the room to get some air or find somewhere to vomit. I sit here for another minute staring at Nihilus in disdain before I follow after her to make sure she is alright. This is the first time she would have seen him do this no one ever is.

A dark dark part of me takes pleasure that they have had a taste of what i have endured... the horrors. But all of me feels the pain amew. Not on my own behalf, but because Ahsoka has tasted the horrors that fill me. It is a contradictory and horrible thing to take perverse pleasure in being understood yet agony that she endures that which no one should have to.

The darker side of me disappears entirely on hearing her grab the nearest hall-way trashbin and throwing up into it. I grimace in guilt. Feeling the need to comfort her, I take holds of her head-tendrils and pull them out of her face while massaging them.

"I've I've never " She mutters, barely able to comprehend the horror of what she had witnessed. "I've seen men die. I've I've killed before in war. I've witnessed all kinds of death!"

"I know." I say. Its not something we bring up often, but she had been a soldier in war and endured a darkness just like I did. It was of a different nature, but war is still nothing to scoff at. We could sit and argue on who had it worse in terms of trauma, but its not a competition. We both have endured some horrible stuff.

"But I have never !" She gulps and pauses, as if wondering if she even wants to say and acknowledge what she witnessed. "I've never seen a person tear himself apart like like fruit!"

"So no oranges for a while? Or bananas?" I smirk, trying to make light of this. She responds by dry heaving again. Perhaps its best to just let her be.

She shakes her head. "I don't think I can handle anything for a while."

* * *

Nihilus inspected his new face in the mirror from side to side. The host was young and were he vain he might even consider himself handsome. He saw higher value in the youth and well-built vessel that it was. "This one put time in prison into working out." He observed.

"Hm " Skywalker grunted.

He heard the door open behind him followed by the easy to discern march of soldiers. Not just any soldier, but an officer, judging from the sound of the prideful march. And not just any officer, but Mandalore. No one else had armor that heavy or metalic.

Nihilus allowed himself to look. He smirked as he was right. "Canderous Ordo. I am glad we could come to an agreement."

Mandalore motioned to a box another two soldiers were bringing in. "This will be your armor. You will wear it every day."

"Understood." Nihilus agreed. It made no difference to him. Claustrophobia or discomfort was a concept he left to mortals.

Nihilus continued to look in the mirror at himself and looked for something that would be inconvenient. It was good he wasn't in a woman, he would have had to remove a substantial amount of flesh. As it was he was already tempted to remove his manhood. He didn't care to have a useless fifth limb waving around. Or long hair.

He picked up his lightsaber and got to work.

With his body adequately adapted to his desires, he turned to see Mandalore had left. Skywalker was arranging their joint-room in a way that suited the Jedi's wishes. Nihilus cared little either way.

"Your bunk. My bunk." Skywalker stated flatly, pointing to their respective beds. Nihilus nodded.

"Your recorder." Skywalker tossed to him a little device. Nihilus caught it and inspected it. It a simple device with a microphone, sterio broadcast, and an assortment of plugs wrapped around a battery and mobile motherboard. "Your orders are to give all the information you have on the enemy into that device. Mandalore has too much on his plate for right to waste with you."

"Understood." Nihilus put it in his pocket.

Skywalker ignored him and sat on his bed while watching him.

Nihilus soon found himself in the unusual position of boredom. On his own, nothing would happen for days and so his concept of time would pass. However, with Skywalker, every movement was noticable. The Jedi was jittery with things like scratching his chin, popping his cyborg fingers, swinging his legs, or generally moving in a bodies natural instinct to fix an uncomfortable position. Or clearing his throat. All things beyond the Sith Lord. Left to his own device he wouldn't move a muscle. Now he had to watch as the Jedi Master did these obnoxious movements, and it succeeded in reminding Nihilus of the passage of time.

Nihilus started pacing. Maybe if he let his mind flow into his thoughts, he could forget the other presence.

"Don't start us off with pacing. Find something to do to relax." Skywalker muttered.

"How can I relax with your irritation! You realize you have scratched yourself thirty-seven times on various parts of your body in the last four minutes!?"

"My arm itches where the cybernetic meets flesh. You know that."

"Yes! And I had finally succeeded in forget all the little irritants you have! But I had to agree to having you watch me day and night, and I have to endure you all over again!"

Skywalker's eyes never left his datapad. "Being your host wasn't a walk in the park either, buddy. Look be good, keep your mouth shut, relax, and I'll get you a gift."

Nihilus scoffed. He looked out the window into the dark abyss. "What do you possibly have that could interest ME?! I am Nihilus, the Voidsmith, the Lord of Hunger, the destroyer of Coruscant!"

Skywalker looked up at the ceiling and sighed. He whispered, "Its no wonder Varus is such a drama queen " Then louder he said, "Look, I'll get you a chess set!"

Nihilus turned ever so slightly. Not enough to look back at him, but to show interest. " Alright."

With the idea of a tactical game, something to truly set his mind, at his disposal again after years, Nihilus forced himself to settle down and tolerate Skywalkers tendencies. He sat down on his own bunk. The audio recorder presssed against him from his pocket. Touching him. Reminding him. Nihilus tapped his leg, trying to focus his mind elsewhere, anywhere, but against the annoying-

He sighed. He pulled it out and hit the button. "It detests me how mortals have so many thing that seek to constantly remind me of the passage of time or get in my way. Nothing else for it I might as well get started."

Nihilus clicked his tongue in thought. "To describe the entirity of all that is Valkorian would take a poet a lifetime. He is a god to his people and a nightmare to his enemies. Whatever he touches is meticulas, placed within his plans with care, used with all the tenderness of a father and tossed aside with calm acceptance when it has reached the fulfillment of its purpose. He uses everything only after knowing it intimitately and planning for its every eventuality or should I say that his instincts and understanding of every thing, and of every person, is so complete that he can use anything to his will simply because he already knows it. His ability to predict reaches to the point of manipulation without once ever having made a move of his own. He uses his enemies to their own detriment and blesses his allies until they overflow with it. He is whimsical without ever deviating from his plans as for what his plans are, there are none, including myself, that can say what they are. He has layers of plans upon plans, plans lasting minutes or days or years, fulfillfing all forms of purpose within his grand plan of revenge. His mind, his abilities, his emotions have all transcended with power and knowledge to the extent that he appeared to me unreachable. His ambitions and views of the world changed according to his power, to the extent that he did not appear to me, in his service, that his ambition was any longer revenge. It seemed wholeheartedly that he had ascended above such a base mortal thought yet I saw that his ambition never left him, but transcended and evolved just as much as himself. His plans in a way reflect that they evolved just as much as the man. He is no longer a man content with revenge on those that betrayed him, nor content with conquering a portion of the galaxy. His ambition and his plans have gone beyond that lowly scale in accordance with his power because at his very core, no matter how he throws off the shell of mortality, that will never stop being a base part of him. He is a man of ambition, of growth, of reaching beyond what he is capable of and becoming something more. Give the man a planet he will reach for the moon. Give him the moon and he will reach for the system. Give him the system and he will reach into the stars.

"As such you may find Valkorian to be your greatest obstacle. Because that kind of an ambitious man will refuse to bow to anyone. He will refuse to be pulled from his ascendance down into what undoubtedly appears to be the existance of worms crawling in the dirt. This is what I know of him in my service to him. His power is absolute. His plans and knowledge have all of creation dancing at his finger tips. And his ambition and pride will not rest until all things are his.

"It is not only Valkorian or the Sith Empire you will face. In fact I would say there are many different forces or assetts you will find yourself facing. Many of them I can say, as I have seen them but there are others I can only assume. And assume I will. Otherwise you will find yourself swept aside as easily as any pawn on the board.

"The first is the Sith Empire. A thousand years ago, Valkorian took all that remained of the Sith and hid them away in a corner of the galaxy to grow and fester in hatred. They are lead by the Dark Council of the Sith. To understand the Sith as they have evolved comes down to the fact that they have a strict hierarchy. The highest is the Council and the nobles. The nobles are the direct ascendant houses of the original Sith families to follow Valkorian, with the Council being a combination of the lords of these houses and handpicked members from Valkorian. Valkorian is not within the Sith Hierarchy, rather holding himself above the Sith entirely, and having the First Councilmen rank being the closest a Sith can come to Valkorian. The noble rank is pureblood Sith, and they are very rigid, even mating clones or siblings to keep the bloodline rigidly pure. Below the noble and Council ranks are the Lords. The Sith Lords can come from all walks of life, but are Force users of the highest power and fury, and prove it by pathing their way in blood all the way up to this point.

"The number of allowed Sith Lords differ from generation to generation, but they are a limited rank, and are given a limited number of personel at their disposal, each of which also have a limited number of personal. As such the only way to climb the ranks to Sith Lord is murder. There are a limited number of Force users in the Empire, and admission into the Sith Acedamy requires wealth and prestige, but Valkorian makes sure that the ranks are so limited that it chokes ambition if you are too weak to climb, and offers potential to people with the ruthlessness to let the limits hold them back.

"Below the Lord and acolyte ranks are the general commoners and soldiers who have proven themselves loyal to the Empire, yet offer no Force potential. Officers, every day soldiers, citizins who have a solid business running for the economy, all kinds of people. People have a generally high standard of living in return for their loyalty.

"Then you have the lowest rank. If you aren't loyal, you are basically seen as a criminal. If you are a crimnal then you are most likely turned into a slave. If you are conquered by the Empire then you are a slave. There are many many slaves in the Empire because a slave's family cannot ascend to a higher rank. Born a slave, die a slave. Become a criminal, become a slave, and continue the cycle of slavery. There is only one way to grow beyond this station, and it would be to be found with Force potential and to murder your way through the ranks alongside your fellow acolytes.

"In the Sith Empire, the idea of marriage is a foreign concept. In my time there they didn t know what the word even meant. You want a woman, you take her. You want to foster a child, then you rape someone. It is not uncommon for slaves to be sexual in nature, and the 'mating' rituals in the higher ranks are about showing off your strength and power and prestige in pure animalistic fashion. With that said, every person in the Empire is ultimately a bastard and is raised by only one parent. Children of slaves are raised by slaves regardless. Children of nobles are raised by the noble of the same gender. Orphans are amazingly well taken care of, all things considered now that I think about it. From what little I saw of it, orphans are adopted pretty quickly and are given to a person of the same perceived rank as to what the child was born into. That is one thing Valkorian did have his input in. He wanted orphans processed smoothly and for there to be a strong educational system. He holds his people to high standards of education and ability.

"In terms of growth, while we are on the subject of orphans and high standards for education, the Sith Empire's population growth is one that is aggressively pushed or encouraged. With rape not considered much of a crime, but a statement of rank of sorts, child conception rates are high. This is further pushed by being given supplementary income for allowing yourself to be cloned. The more the better. And to force your slaves to procreate and foster a higher work force is seen as a valid method of increasing the base work load of your house. All in all I suspect the population of a normal bipedal species would double every twenty-five years, but the population of the Sith Empire doubles in a fraction of the time.

"I suspect Valkorian encourages this culture in hopes of catching up the population to levels that can compete with the galaxy, yet in the span of a thousand years I would say it is hopeless. We must remember the Sith Empire was all but extinct to begin with. Having their population doubling at twice or even three times the rate of normal wouldn't fix that big of a population gap. So I would say your timing, Mandalore, is good. The Sith Empire will be decent, but still small in comparison to what you suspect. They will be powerful, but few.

"That makes up most of what I know of the Sith culture." Nihilus muttered. He lied in silence for a time on the bed, considering what more to say. For now he wanted to cover the highlights.

"The second faction you would find yourself facing are the Infinite Empire. Valkorian has developed a religion around himself as the 'Eternal'. His religion is the Eternal Hand, which I will cover soon, but he also takes in planets in a religious standpoint into a collective called the Infinite Empire. The basis is that of raising up lesser races from the standpoint of a god. While the Republic left less-developed races alone, even protecting them from outside threats, until these lesser races reach out first and realize they are inside of a larger Galaxy; Valkorian does not have the same stance. He approaches races and raises them up with technology, knowledge, understanding, and, if need be, as a conquerer. As he is physically immortal, gives them knowledge and blessings and power, and all but performs miracles through the Force, he is believed to be a god. Many of the races he raises up are in the medieval era or less, so long as they are easily fooled and become ready believers, while he conquers any race that is higher and has a developed science enough to disbelief his claim to godhood.

"Valkorian has done this to hundreds of worlds. I do not know too many details of the Infinite Empire beyond the fact that they are allies to the Sith Empire, worship Valkorian, and have an interesting culture based around technology as advanced as our own fashioned in the manner of medieval sterotypes. What you should be wary of is their zealoutry. What they lack in the Sith's hatred toward the Republic, they make up for in belief and zealotry.

"Interestingly Valkorian has raised up the Infinite Empire into an entirely different culture than that of the Sith Empire. He isn't nearly as heavy-handed with them as the Sith, leading me to speculate that his laws on the Sith is a form of punishment for past failures, or for disappointment. If one to think Valkorian has a heart of any kind, he might even be nurturing or caring for the Infinite Empire. In a logical manner I see his approach as rather uncaring, rather choosing to allow them to largely choose their own laws as he sees it as unimportant enough to waste his time with.

"In terms of numbers I would say the Infinite Empire has much higher numbers than the Sith Empire, as they were not on the verge of extinct and the basis of the Infinite is numerous races and worlds, while the Sith had to restart from one group. However what they make up for in numbers, they lack in power. The Infinite have Force users, esspecially because of Valkorian's nurturing, but they lack the raw power the Sith have, and they also lack the hatred and fury the Dark Side draws on. We can certainly assume Valkorian does not accept the Light except in special cases. In terms of technology I would say the Infinite Empire wields technology and capability equal to the Sith, but without the understanding of it born of reaching that level step by step on their own capability and progression as a species."

Nihilus turned off the device and set it aside. That was enough for today.

* * *

Cahjinawl was giddy with excitement as she walked down the platform onto the inner shipyard of the dreadnaught class vessel. The thing was so big! It was even bigger than her father's vessels! Soldiers were everywhere and they were so cool! They may not be fully armored right now, but the way they held themselves, their efficiency, their alertness and training their hot muscles!

It was awesome being a teen.

"PAPA COME ON!" Cahj yelled. She looked back impatiently, hoping to see him keeping up. To her disappointment, it was not the case. It was something she was used to. Having a one-armed father meant helping him with things at time, or allowing extra time for him to manage things on his own. Cooking, working terminals, managing armor, there were many things that required extra time, effort, or help to manage on his part.

It was a struggle they had to learn together. He was a strong-willed and proud warrior, and a wise priest. He refused to bend his back to an unyielding galaxy and this made him very independent. She took on aspects of her father and her uncle, being fiercely opinionated and strong-willed through an ironic combination of foolishness picked up from her uncle and wisdom passed down from her father. Growing up passed from place to place, adopted by many and at times going on without him, had hardened her as well while not allowing proper growth for a relationship usually seen in a father and daughter.

His loss of an arm, and the humility of having to need her help on a regular basis, had changed things for the better. He had, in a sense, retired from the path of a warrior he grew up walking. His entire focus now was in leadership of the rebellion he had started, priesthood, and raising his daughter.

Koj's groan of difficulty was all she heard as he started the descent. He scanned the area around them in confusion, not recognizing the layout of the inner shipyard and trying to grasp where to go.

Cahj asked, "You okay, Papa?"

He smiled, or as well as a Ghorfa can smile. Their species lacked the horizontally lined lips to close their mouths. They had no lips of any kind to hide their circular jaws and array of teeth from which was a long tongue hidden in the back of their throat.

"I am well." he assured her, holding back his inner dread. "Just feeling months of exhaustion catching up with me and concerned."

He left it unspoken what his concern was, but she knew. They had discussed it briefly. He was in a difficult position. He was one of the only ones who truly understood the danger of Valkorian, and was a skilled warrior who understood the need of soldiers and sacrifice. He wouldn't hesitate to fight. The problem was that his relations with the Mandalorians had taken a dive for the worst since he gave Tatooine to the United Systems Alliance, and his work toward being a good priest and father demanded his focus and put him in a divide on what he should be. Koj'Ineh was a skilled warrior, a leader amongst rebels, a leader amongst an endangered species, a necessary insight into a great evil, a zealous priest of the Maker, and now a loving father. But could he be all at once?

And they were here to meet with the Mandalorians. This would not go well.

Behind them the Alliance soldiers they had brought descended as well to work on the ship. Along with them were a number of officers representing members of the former Rebel Alliance. They were former slaves, all of them, and Koj felt they were honorable warriors and able diplomats both.

They also were here to speak for themselves and decide for themselves whether to join the war Mandalore was gathering.

Even as these concerns passed through Koj, his daughter, whether by choice, excitement, position, or her nature, did not share them. "May I go on ahead then?"

He nodded. Immediately she squealed in joy, hugged him, and ran off. He shook his head in mirth and ignored his chuckling officers. He turned to them and couldn't restrain his smirk despite his serious manner, "Let us go meet with the officials."

Much to her chagrin, Cahjinawl had to deal with showing her passport to security and tapped her feet while waiting for her to be allowed on the ship. She was only a teen for crying out loud! What was she going to do? Punch a fist through the hull? Finally the soldier handed back her passport and allowed her entry onto the ship. She would have sped off immediately, but he also handed her a map and pamphlet with a sample menu of the ships various cafeterias and other non-military aspects of the ship. Complete with a warm welcome.

She stuffed it all into her backpack, stepped into the elevator, pulled out her map and datapad, and checked her messages from Ahsoka for the cabin number. She held the map up in front of her face to look for it, and instinctively stepped off the elevator still holding the map in front of her when it dinged. She heard the elevator door start to close, and her head shot up as she realized how she screwed up. "Shit!"

She dived back in just as the door shut.

Cahj straightened up and chastised herself. She was so excited she wasn't paying attention. She would have thought further on it, but a soldier next to her chuckled at her. She furrowed her brows in aggravation.

Laugh at her would he? Hot or not, she was hotter. People who screwed with her tended to get burned.

The door opened on the floor she wanted, and with a dark glint in her eye, she slapped her hand on every floor button as she ran out, only to turn and stick her tongue out at the shocked Mandalorian. The door shut before his aggravated response was given. She chuckled.

She pulled the map up. Judging from the map, she was now on the correct floor Just a couple hundred rooms away. Dreadnaughts tended to be large enough to have full tram systems inside, but she didn't feel like using one. It wasn't on the other side of the ship, just a fair distance.

In the last few years Koj had been bringing her out with him on his journeys. The intense conflicts were over, but there were still smaller ones left to clean up. At the same time he took her on missionary journeys preaching. They spent more time traveling than not, and he was not shy about doing it the old fashioned way Namely walking, crawling, mucking it, marching, jogging, or flat out running. If the destination was not accessible within three days of walking, then and only then did he take major transport if it was available to begin with. Many planets didn't have transport to begin with besides steeds or they had to settle for their own private shuttle.

Combine the traveling with a Force-enhanced naturally high energy, and being a teenager, and Cahjinawl was a strong sprinter who suffered from restlessness. She loved running. She loved how her legs burned, the breeze, the way things passed her by and were slow in comparison to her. It was as though the galaxy itself was eating her dust.

Not thinking anything of it, she sprinted down the long halls of the ship. She expertly avoided the passengers with super-human agility, never for a moment having to slow down. She passed by as a blur, moving progressively faster and faster until suddenly coming to a halt when she saw the door she was looking for and skidded past leaving a black skidmark on the tile.

She cringed. She had difficulty controlling her power. From the smoothness of the tile floor, it felt like she had burned a hole through her shoes. She reached out to grab the handle, but paused as she saw her hands were burning like hot coals.

She closed her eyes, and after breathing in and out to calm herself and bring her Force power back down, grabbed the handle.


	9. Episode 2 - Racing to the End Part 3

**Note: I am changing the name of Valkorian's Infinite Empire to Eternal Empire to avoid confusion between the Rataka's Infinite Empire and Valkorian's Infinite Empire. In actuality I had messed up and named Valkorian's non-sith part the Infinite when they actually are called Eternal Empire in lore. My mistake. In lore Valkorian's Empire was actually called Eternal Empire. Which means I now have to confuse Eternal Empire with Eternal Hand, which are not the same thing. I did not do that on purpose when I made Eternal Hand, but is a massive freaking confusing coincidence that is thratening to make this very confusing for me! Gah!**

* * *

 **Episode 2 - Racing to the End Part 3**

* * *

(Make sure to read 'Note:' section for changes to the story going into effect.)

While Mandalore was in charge of the entire operation, the fleet had grown to such a height that there needed to be an entire cabinet of Generals under him. This is by no means an abnormal practice, it is something done in every war for there to be a chain of command. However what marked this operation as abnormal was the sheer number of generals, high admirals, and ship captains. Mandalore had led meetings with a few generals or fleet admirals before, but this time there were so many of them that the nature of the meeting, and future meetings, would have to be adapted. As such, Mandalore stood in the center of a ring of holographic faces similarly to a holographic version of the Republic Senate. All were silent, listening to the recorded information provided by Darth Nihilus.

The recording had already passed information on Emperor Valkorian, the Sith Empire, the Eternal Empire, and now was continueing with information on further problems they would find themselves facing.

"The assets in which Valkorian employs, is not only sentient, but religious, experimental, and animalistic." Nihilus said via recording. "In my short time under him, I was introduced to the faction you have come to know as the 'Eternal Hand'. Originally it was a religion centered around him and his desire for immortality, but it has evolved in many ways. It acts as a higher tier within all that Valkorian holds in his grasp, as both the Eternal Empire and Sith are subservient to the Eternal Hand. What you have met is but a small part of the Eternal Hand since it, in its most simplest form, acts as Valkorian's personal hand. They are his priests, his assassins, his servants, his most loyal soldiers, his lovers should he ever lower himself to such a base emotion, and his messengers. On the surface, the promise of the Eternal Hand to their zealots is power, wealth, honor, prestige, glory, and most of all immortality. What makes this promise so powerful, beyond promising what all mortals crave, is that it is very real on the surface. When one joins the Eternal Hand and is blessed by the Eternal himself, then he does gain power he does gain wealth. He does gain prestige, honor, and glory when his name is declared across the empires. He does gain immortality. To make this worse for you, Valkorian with his power, immortality, and ability to bless others with the same gifts so easily, his claim of being a mortal god is hard to dispute especially when you take into account how there is no other religion to counter his claim. He times his appearance to lesser races perfectly to maximize the awe of his glory, and he feeds the desperation of the Sith to supporting him and seeing him as a true champion of the old golden age of the Sith. And this would not be a lie either, because that is what he is.

"On the surface, the Eternal Hand is righteous, holy, bright and the imagery where the Eternal Hand prize white clothing helps with making them so but when I looked deeper I found that the promises are fulfilled, but at a heavy cost. It is as Skywalker believes: The zealots, priors, and warriors of the Eternal Hand have their Force essence ripped away and replaced with a speck of his own. This exchange gives Valkorian youth to his already immortal self, and in turn gives him a n empty puppet. Now I don't know how much will the 'recruit' retains after the transformation, but I do know it is very little if any. This applies to the Eternal Hand priests and soldiers, though. The normal every day servants don't have their souls ripped out and replaced. Its simply unnecessary and while the promise of immortality and power is appealing, the Eternal Hand also has a fairly large rank of people who choose to throw themselves at the feet of their pagan god without asking for anything. Nothing more than to be accepted and pleasing to him. In addition there are a few warriors that, while granted power, still retain their will. These would be people that Valkorian believes he can have better use for with them retaining their own minds rather than just being host puppets for him to twist and use as an extension of himself. In the end I believe the deciding verdict for how much will he allows his new follower to retain is based on their loyalty. While all of the Eternal Hand have to be loyal, the ones he allows to stay themselves are fanatically so, to the extent that even if he were to butcher children in front of them they wouldn't bat an eyelash.

"In addition, there is a secondary caste within the Eternal Hand. While what I have described are soldiers and priests who have their souls ripped out and replaced with power to allow him to use, and he has an army of servants and custodians at his finger tips to meet his every need without regard for themselves, these are merely solutions to present problems he faces in his work. He also looks to the distant future. The secondary caste of the Eternal Hand is to allow yourself to be cloned a thousand times over, and for your clones to be placed in stasis until a need for them arrives. This is a caste meant for warriors, and is often granted as a reward to champions, tournament winners, and soldiers who perform remarkably well. Having yourself cloned is a sign of acknowledgement that Valkorian has a use for you, and this is seen a second way of well rather than reaching 'Heaven' but 'Valhalla', if I were to use your myths for an example. It is a form of 'Heaven' for warriors where they are told there is a war for Armageddon and they will play a role in it to protect their pagan god. It is also optional to have yourself placed in stasis alongside your clones, and there are many who go with that option unless they also have a use for him in the present or wish to work their way into the primary caste of the Eternal Hand. Most who are in the primary Eternal Hand caste are also in the secondary caste.

"What this means is that you will be facing a clone army that has been steadily growing in stasis for a thousand years, an army many times larger than your Voda clan. In addition to zealots far more fanatical than the average Sith or Eternal, and entire armies of Force users who had the Dark Side crammed down their throats and pumped up on the Force version of steroids. Armies that, in addition, have no conflicting thoughts but rather a unified hive mind directly under Valkorian himself to be used as puppets. They will not fear, they will not falter, and they will fight in extremely complex schemes without the need to communicate. The only limit to this is Valkorian himself, as being still a mortal god, he is no true god and so probably would have a difficult time using thousands of warriors with his mind alone, depending on how much will he allows them to retain in themselves. Some, like the Dread Lords, have all of their will intact as they are fanatically loyal and are far more useful because of the strength of their will to begin with. There is also Darth Sion, Darth Scourge, and others you wouldn't know of."

The recording ended.

"So not only do we have to deal with the Sith Empire, and the Eternal Empire, but also the Eternal Hand?" Someone said. "As if one nation wasn't troublesome enough!"

"We are already at war with the Hand. This doesn't change anything."

"What it changes is shows how much larger the organization is!"

The general consensus was grim, until another spoke up and said, "Don't exaggerate the situation. This isn't a third independent faction, with its own production and numbers, but is a caste whose members come from the Sith and from the Eternal Empire. For every member of the Hand, that is one less Imperial faction we have to face. The only issue is that the member of the Imperial taken to this new faction has a boost in power and is cloned for future use. At least from what information there is provided. Would Nihilus know if the Hand allows their members to engage in sexual reproduction? Or is their increase in member base solely dependent on cloning and admission of membership?"

Mandalore looked to this last speaker, a man he knew to be highly logical and rational. Grand Admiral Tarken. The man worked for the Old Republic against the New Republic, but was respected enough to be accepted into the new regime smoothly. From what Mandalore recalled being told, the man was the perfect professional. He was similar to a mercenary in that he didn't care who his employer was, but he also refused to change sides. When the Republic splintered, he stayed. With the Republic was remade, he stayed. In whatever form the Republic took, he stayed.

Mandalore didn't like him. There was too much blind loyalty in that for his liking. All the same, Mandalore could appreciate how he was a prodigy of warfare, a practical and hard worker, and refused to fall into the mentality high officers often had of taking their position for granted.

"I do not know." Mandalore answered. "I will pose the question. But from what is described, I do not believe so. It would take away from elitism of the Hand to allow membership to be given on birth."

"The babies could be held to the high standards of his elitism, or would be kept as servants if they failed." Tarken offered. "Whichever it is, we should know. This could help determine their numbers, whether it be by natural means or unnatural or both."

Mandalore allowed the subject to continue on for a short time before moving on.

"It is good for us to go into this knowing what we face, but let us settle this subject for the day. Whatever questions you have for Nihilus, will be passed on to him and answered. Let us move on to the next subject. I believe there is one final assett Valkorian possesses, one Nihilus has not spoken of."

"Is he withholding information?"

"Hard to say, as this one is nothing more than a theory." Mandalore answered. "I will include the theory among the questions posed to him, but first I want to warn you all of it."

Tarken scoffed, "We are better working with facts, not theories."

"After you hear what I have to say, you might find it necessary to prepare for the worst." Mandalore returned. Tarken conceded to his point.

"As you all know, I once worked with Revan against Malak, and soon after worked with Revan in reclaiming the helm of Mandalore before he disappeared to look for the True Sith Empire. During my time with him, I came to learn that in his return as a Sith he had been mentally enslaved temporarily and given the Star Forge by Valkorian himself." This sent waves of astonishment and gasps among them. Valkorian had given Darth Revan the Star Forge he had originally used to nearly conquer a large portion of the Republic.

Mandalore continued, "From discussing with Jedi Master Skywalker, and listening to Darth Nihilus, I do not believe Valkorian hands out power he cannot afford to lose. He is cautious by nature when it comes to the larger galaxy."

"What are you trying to say?" One of the men asked. Others visibly gulped in worry, perceiving a bit what Mandalore was trying to say.

Mandalore looked between them before saying, "I believe Valkorian gave Revan his Star Forge, because he already possessed several and still may."

This idea whether it be revelation or superstition, left the group speechless. A few tried to argue with such an idea, but even they spoke barely above a whisper as the atmosphere had darkened.

The first to recover fully was Admiral Tarken. He offered an idea. "This theory is provable. The ships manufactered by the Star Forge were different on an atomic level. While ships created with machine arms, forges of our technology, and use nails and screws to be held together; the ships created by the Star Forge were found to be almost grown. There is no nails and screws to hold plates together, they are fused together as well as flesh would be. The forging process of the Rakata is far more advanced than anything we have ever seen. All we have to do is find one Star Forged vessel among the enemy and we will know."

Tarkin looked to Mandalore, "And is the possibility of these Star Forges the reason for your war strategy? It is unheard of to gather everything in an attempt to end a war of this scale as quickly as you are attempting."

Mandalore nodded. "It is. If Valkorian truly has multiple Star Forges, or even just one, then a war of attrition would prove difficult. Especially as we do not have a Star Forge of our own. I had hoped to lease it from the Miraluka, but they've lost it and they've declin-"

"I think I can fix that little problem." A voice said from the back.

Mandalore waved his hand, sending the holographic faces to the side to see who spoke. In the back of the room was Jedi Master Skywalker and a soldier. Judging from the special face paint on the soldier's helmet, it was Nihilus. Nihilus had been given very distinguishing armor for them to recognize him. Skywalker looked bashful, not having expected his prisoner to have spoken, while Nihilus walked forward.

"How's that?" Mandalore asked. On the other side of the various screens around him, the generals and captains looked on curiously. They had been briefed that this man was an assett, though only the highest among them knew the true identity behind the mask. Mandalore hoped Nihilus would not say too much for those that were not in the loop.

Nihilus stood in front of him, amidst the array of screens, and said, "You asked how I escaped, and I would not tell you. Now I believe is the time."

"How does this fix the problem of our enemy having or not having a Star Forge?"

"Because I know where Revan's Star Forge is. It was the Star Forge that had freed me. A Star Forge now possessed by Revan's personal assassination droid." Nihilus answered with a hint of pride. He didn't have to use the Force to be powerful. Sometimes his resources and connections alone were all he needed to change things, to shake people, to turn an era to his advantage.

* * *

For all things for Cahjinawl to find upon opening the door bubbles was not among them.

The moment she opened the door, after having knocked repeatedly and not getting an answer, bubbles overflowed through the door over her. The bubbles were reaching up to the ceiling inside the room. She could only stand in shock and stare dumbly as bubbles swept over her and enveloped her up to her waist. "What the-"

"Shitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit!" Someone panicked inside and Cahj'Inawl heard someone moving suddenly.

Cahj squinted her eyes in concern and stepped in. What had caused this situation was beyond her, but clearly someone was there. The bubbles filled the cabin all the way up to the ceiling, but after she had opened the door, some of it had swept out into the hall revealing a cabin that was normally warm and welcoming. Right now it was just bewildering.

"Hello?" She greeted openly into the room.

"Wha- Squirt?" A head popped out of the white foam. Cahj could not recognize the person as her or she was covered in white puff. "Squirt!" The voice gave it away to be Varus. He was ecstatic to see her.

"Uncle " Cahj felt her eye twitch as she put the pieces together. Stuff like this happening was to be expected around him. She should have put the pieces together earlier. All the same, whether to sate her curiosity or perhaps she was just a mashochist, she had to ask, "What happened?"

He stepped through the white foam into the clearing near her and shook like a dog. She tried to shield herself from the soap bubbles, but it only resulted in the bubbles getting all over her arm. As if she wasn't covered enough to begin with. She barely had a moment to recover before she was in a bone-breaking hug. "Don't do that!" She yelled. "You're getting stuff all over me!"

Varus just laughed, refusing to release her just yet. "Sorry, Squirt." He finally relented and let her go. She gasped for breathe. He smiled guiltily and looked to the room. "Yeah kinda a mess now."

"No kidding How did you manage this?"

"To be honest, I don't know. The bubbles came out of the dish washer. But that makes no sense. I scrubbed the dishes in water, then put them into the racks, poured in dish washing soap, and turned it on maximum "

"Idiot." She muttered. "Dish washing soap doesn't go in the dish washer! There is special stuff for that!"

"What?" Varus raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "But it's called dish washing soap! What kind of dish washing soap doesn t go in the dish washer!"

"I don't know!"

"I don't know either it s a stupid name then!"

"You re a grown adult! You should know this bullshit!"

"..." Varus stared at her a moment before yelling, "When have I EVER struck you that way?! You know me better than that!"

"Then you should also know not to do stuff! Didn't you screw up the laundry last time too?! Or the plunging!?" Cahj argued. She felt her eyes twitch. He was exasperating. "Or how about when the pipes burst! Or I don't know the time you got us thrown out of the arcade! Or the waterpark! Or the beach! Or the sport center! Heck, you got us banned from a vacation planet!"

Varus sighed, turned away bashfully, and rubbed his hair. "In my own defense I was left unsupervised."

"Agh!" Cahj threw her hands up in the air as a sign of surrender to the Maker. Varus just chuckled. "Don't laugh!"

"Hey, come on." He continued chuckling. He entered the soapy abyss and disappeared. "You have to admit, it wasn't all on me that we got thrown off a planet. And if memory serves, you had a blast. Koj actually broke a smile. Granted it was a sinister smile while tying kids to a tree, but it was a smile."

Varus returned holding a bottle. "And from the looks of things I probably shouldn't have used half of it."

Cahj sighed and put her head in her hands. "I give up..."

"Admit it! You had fun."

"Yeah. I did." She did admit. "I like to have fun, but right now the sheer stupidity of this is amazing. If you are going to pull something like this, at least do it on purpose." Varus smirked widely. Cahj had a bad feeling about this.

Later Ahsoka stood in front of the ship hold staring icily down at two smiling and soap-covered prisoners. She spoke coldly and with no empathy whatsoever, "So far as I have been told we have a new fountain in the middle of the ship and an entire region of the ship covered in soap." She let her glare pass from one to another. "Care to explain?"

Varus laughed. Cahj smirked widely and said, "In my defense, I was left unsupervised."

Ahsoka pinched the bridge of her nose. "Varus, you are the adult. Is it really so hard to be the mature one?"

Varus and Cahj shared a glance. Both of them equally confused. Cahj yelled, "Mature one? Have you met this guy!?"

"Right, stupid question. Varus, what do you have to say to this?"

"In my defense-"

Ahsoka turned around and walked away. She informed the warden he would be babysitting two children this night. She wasn't buying their bail yet.

"Ashoka!" Varus screamed. He crawled to the edge of the cell and peered out as she walked out the door. "Don't leave me!... Shit."

"Meh, it was worth it."

* * *

It was night.

The halls of the palace echoed deeply as the Sith Lord stomped his way through. The halls were absent of light or life. The lights were off while the servants were in their quarters and as for guards There were none. It was something the Sith Lord scoffed at, yet was wary of. Only a fool would have his palace without a single guard and Valkorian was the furthest thing from a fool. Valkorian did not understimate his enemy. He did not trust blindly in his allies. Valkorian had no guards because well, such a contradiction spoke silent words to the Sith, giving a powerful impression of power even when his master was not present. He felt eyes on him with every step he took, though no one was there.

At last, the Sith Lord came to the room he desired. The room was closed by a large double-door, and before it was the sole guardian of this entire facility. The Eternal Hand Speaker, the personal mouth piece of Valkorian in his absence.

The Speaker was one of such vast loyalty that he would act as a living sacrifice. It was the destiny he was born towards, bred for, trained to become, and finally realized. It was a special honor akin to that of a demi-god, or harbinger of a god. The Speaker would throw away his name, his identity, and become one with Valkorian. Valkorian would bond with the man, or woman as the case may be, and allow his personal thoughts and feelings to be heard by the Speaker. In turn, Valkorian would never need to speak, and the Speaker can talk and translate the will of Valkorian in his absence.

This honor gives the Speaker just as much power and privilge in their religion as Valkorian, as every word the Speaker makes is law. Every word the Speaker makes is said only because Valkorian allows it. Were the Speaker to say a single word that contradicted Valkorian, then their master was well within his power, his authority, and means with which to kill the Speaker on the spot.

To the Eternal Empire, it was a living sacrifice, a matryr, an honor akin to being marrying their god.

To the Sith Lord, this one in particular, it looked like a cage.

Of course, he wasn't in any better of a situation himself. As he had his life Force bonded to Valkorian as punishment. The Sith Lord was immortal just as Valkorian now. Whether this was a mercy or damnation, the Sith Lord had learned his lesson.

The Speaker turned white eyes on him and recognized his presence. The Sith Lord threw back his dark hood and bowed in greeting. The Speaker merely nodded. Their presence in the hall was a contradiction since the Speaker wore white and gold, was bald, pale, and with white eyes. He had simple robes and no weapons, foregoing all protection even down to the shoes. His skin was perfect without a single sign of imperfection or wrinkle. The Sith Lord was bald as well, but had blood-red skin, wore clothes and heavy armor of the deepest black, had red eyes with yellow hints, and had numerous weapons hidden amidst his armor with only a lightsaber visibly shown. His skin was marred with scars and imperfections from battle and heavy use of the Dark Side in physically enchancing his body past its limits.

To the Sith's appreciation, there was no use of formality and pleasantry. "Lord Scourge " The Speaker whispered, though with the utter lack of sound it echoed loudly. "What is your purpose here?"

"I wish to speak with Valkorian." Scourge replied. "I was told he would be waking soon."

The Speaker nodded. "He will wake soon, however, I cannot allow you to speak with him until he is ready."

Scourge frowned, "Naturally How long will that be?"

"When he is ready."

"Being?" Scourge pressed.

"When he is ready. Not before, not after."

Scourge grit his teeth angrily and glared down at the man. The Speaker showed no sign of fear. Scourge's specialization was in sensing fear and using it, and yet he felt none in the man. Scourge could probably gut him and he wouldn't bat an eyelash.

The Speaker felt no fear, but that didn't mean he wasn't rational. The white-eyed man raised a hair-less eyebrow, and sighed gently. "Is this a pressing matter?"

"It is imperative to the security of the joint Empires that I bring this matter to his attention."

The Speaker chewed this thought, balancing the value of this statement before resigning himself. "Very well. I will allow you entry. I will begin the process of his waking early so he may hear you and the day may begin for the joint Empires. The condition is only that you do not speak. Do not say a word. Do not make a sound. Do not move. You must be invisible the entire time until he gives you his attention. Do you hear me?"

Scourge scoffed. It would be the best he would most likely get. "I hear you. This isn't the first time I have been in his room while he wakes. I know what he expects."

The Speaker eyed him warily a moment, before turning to the door. Slowly, methodically, he opened the door and entered in. He ushered Scourge in with his hand, and Scourge tip-toed his way in, being careful to not make a sound even with his boots. He was unsuccessful, but it wasn't too loud he hoped. The Speaker flinched with every sound he made as he walked in and stood to the side, but seeing as how the sleeping form on the bed had not moved, he sighed in relief. He briefly glared at the Sith Lord before closing the door.

The instant the door closed all sound ceased. Valkorian couldn't hear his own breathing. His heartbeat pulsed in his ear, but he could not hear it. Whereas before he could hear the wind through the halls, no more. Wheras before he could hear the crackling of torches, no more. Valkorian felt as though his head had been dunked under water, yet unlike water that made sound echo and deeper this was an utter lack of all sound. The floor didn't crackle as he shifted his stance, his armor didn't click nothing.

The room they entered had a number of couches and chairs surrounding an initial table. On the other side had a large bed on a raised floor with stairs descending from it in a circle. Around the platform was four young woman, virgins all. They slept on the floor at their position, keeping a distance from the bed and spread around the room. They wore white robes, just as the Speaker did. To the side of the room was the doorway to another series of rooms. One was a room with tables for games, eating, or study. Another room had a deep bath.

The Speaker strode across the room, and gently nudged the four servant girls into full awakeness. They yawned in complete silence, smiled in greeting to him and each other, and after taking a minute to stretch and finish waking for the door, they set to work. The servants climbed to the top of the stairs atop the bed, and gently touched Valkorian at his shoulders and feet.

The Eternal's eyes opened, and the atmosphere changed. The air felt hot, stifling, stale but it wasn't stale. It was that Valkorian's power alone changed how the air moved. It was written that with every birth he could will a hurricane. With every step, an earthquake. The sun rose with him and descended alongside him. From his hand extended darkness and death, light and life. The coldness of the void or the heart of a burning sun rested in his palm. It was written that Valkorian was a god, though rebels claimed he was but a man with great power.

If only it was a lie.

Scourge knew... he knew the terrible power Valkorian held. Valkorian was by no means a god, but nor could he be described as a man. He was something else entirely. It was true he could will a hurricane or earthquake, but it wasn't done so with will. It was done with a lack of restraint. Valkorian was a being that had to restrain his every step or every breathe lest a colemanite occur. He radiated power to such a degree that it was by lessening his restraint, lowering his barriers, that would cause it. It was as though his power alone was a living thing that he had to keep in a cage. In fact there was only one time Scourge had ever known Valkorian to lessen the cage containing his power all the way. It was but for a moment, but the shockwave disintegrated the ambushing rebels to ash and left a crater. Scourge truly feared what would happen if Valkorian were to ever fight to the full extent of his power, rather than holding himself back at every moment to keep from squashing them puny mortals.

Scourge felt he had to force himself to breathe in 'his' presence.

Valkorian's gaze fell on his servants. After a moment it took to properly transition from the sleeping world to the waking one, he closed his eyes and raised himself up. His servants put their hands on his back to assist him in rising if needed despite his strong back. The sheets fell from his bare chest to the bed, and the servants at his feet pulled them away. Scourge half expected him to sleep in the nude, but no. He wore simple white night clothes. His hair was a whitish gold, straight, and fell to his waist as he rose from the bed perfectly. Scourge wondered if the man was even capable of a bedhead. Without a word or gesture he descended the stairs, and entered the bathing room without so much as a glance towards his guests. The door shut.

It was not long before Valkorian returned adorned in white robes under white ceremonial armor. His long hair was cut to be an inch long from his scalp. On his hip was a cermonial double-edged sword in its hilt. The Emperor glided by them, once more not so much as giving Scourge or The Speaker a glance out of the corner of his eyes, and placed his hands on the double door.

Scourge felt he could breathe again. The sounds of wind returned. What was an empty, haunted palace, was now a bustling one with enigmatic nobles, laughing heroes and champions, well cared for servants, joyful priests, zealots, and focused acolytes filling its halls and chambers. The atmosphere outside the windows gave birdsong, rustling trees, and chatter of the distant marketplace. The sun had risen alongside the Eternal Emperor.

It was day.

Valkorian turned an appraising eye on Scourge, and Scourge had to fight his bodies immediate reaction to flee. He was a warrior, a proud, strong Lord of the Sith. He had great power among his peers. But one of the skills that came with it was the ability to measure the strength of others around him and the power and threat of Valkorian was so large it was blinding. Understanding the depth of it was no help in giving him courage. It only deepened the terror and horror of what this 'man' was.

The Emperor said, "Speak."


	10. Episode 3 - The Apprentice Part 1

Koj's presence on the ship was unwelcome. The average soldier didn't know or care about who this alien was who passed them by, and neither did the officers or civilians or engineers or maintenance staff or anyone else. Yet he still felt his presence was unwelcome. It wasn't until he stood before Mandalore alongside his select Alliance magistrates that his musing became prophetic. Mandalore was indeed displeased the Ghorfa was here. Granted, Koj was requested, but it was not to exchange pleasantries.

Although who has ever known a Mandalorian to exchange empty pleasantries?

The exchange was as quick as Koj had come to feel was normal for men like this. Straight as an arrow, brave enough to give the ugly truth and demand nothing less of others, firm ideals, and not giving enough of a damn to care how many toes got run over in the process. In many ways this was the kind of personality Koj respected and desired to see more, as the exchange with Outsiders growing up as a young Ghorfa in the sands was surrounded by liars, deceit, and backstabbers. How unfortunate it was that his exchange was proving to be one of alienation from an individual he might otherwise consider a friend and ally were it not for his own decisions. How unfortunate it was that Koj, himself, was the backstabber.

"You broke a contract, Ghorfa." Mandalore stated. "Before I tell you what I think of what I intend to do about this, I would like to know: Why?"

"I was a leader amongst the Rebel Alliance, and at the same time I was a leader of my people, the Ghorfa. I recognize that our contract gave Tatooine to my people, and you gave great aid in the Alliance fighting the Cartel. However, I chose to reach out to the United Systems Alliance because to follow through with our deal, and join your Clans, would result in the destruction of everyone who had only just freed themselves of the yoke of slavery. To say nothing of the security or protections that would be offered by being part of a grand nation, it is nothing of the economy, but it is of your intentions toward the future."

"You presume to know what my intentions are for the future?"

"I presume to know that you have no intentions for the future. None. Your vision leads to death."

"How big of an idiot do you think I am? My vision is what brought the Mandalorians together once more, my vision is what kept the Sith Triad at bay for the Republic's sake when they were busy pissing each other off and being pawns to yet another Sith, my vision is what turned this group of squabbling clans into one of the greatest nations in the current galaxy, my vision is what saved your sorry ass from a bunch of overgrown slugs and let you have a pile of sand as a prize, and it is my vision that the Sith Empire that has orchestrated war after war for a thousand years will pay and beg for forgiveness from everyone they have used as entertainment!"

"Your 'vision' is to go into the mouth of death itself and hope to stab it in the heart as it swallows you whole." Koj countered. "And not just a hand, but the entire arm up to the neck. You have pooled together the resources of not only an army, not only a mighty army, but of your entire nation even to the extent of calling upon other nations, mercenary groups, and many favors you have that could benefit less bloody ends. Tell me, have you given thought to what will be left of your 'mighty' nation if you lose? Or let's pretend you will win What will be left to return to? Or what little will return to begin with? I say your vision leads to death because I forsee that all of what you have ever desired to accomplish, from the very beginning, is this war and nothing else. You haven't planned for victory nor defeat, but war itself."

"Then you very much underestimate us." Mandalore scoffed. "We are not a people who greed and lap at the finest wine or sensual pleasures until our teeth or flesh rot. We are warriors. Times will be tough, but this is a challenge just as much as the war itself. One we have faced many times, and even relished in. You say I have no vision past this war? I will grant you that because I am a man of war! I know my place and it is here. That is why I left behind a woman on my throne whose vision is not my own, but whose ambition is for peace and prosperity. We are warriors. We fight true and with honor. It is not my integrity that should be questioned, but yours. I question your honor, and find myself seeing you as little less than the scoundrels you lead, and the terrorist your fame professes."

"I do not mind." Koj shrugged.

"You don't mind?" Mandalore questioned in disbelief. "You do not mind that your very integrity, honour, trustworthiness, is in question?"

"I have lived my entire life labelled as a terrorist and barbarian, first for my race and second for my actions. I have never found it worth the effort to consider myself anything else. In my eyes I am a rebel who fights for his people. In the eyes of my victims, I am indeed a terrorist. You look at me, and my actions, and see a backstabber, a scoundrel. I look at myself and see a selfless Ghorfa who is willing to shoulder the dishonour that comes with it. I will not change my decision. I will manipulate, I will adapt, I will use whoever and whatever I need. These may not sound the words of a selfless man, but they are for the sole reason that nothing I do has benefited me, and I don't believe it will. The only party who benefits from my deals is my people. My people will have their home. They will have a protective power over them that isn't about to dive into the jaws of the beast. So if you want to take my name and rub it into the dirt, do it. It is nothing I am not used to."

They stood in silence a long moment, neither really willing to budge on their points. While they would not say it, they both silently respected the other's position. Mandalore saw him as a kind of selfless for his own people, one who was willing to dirty his hands to keep his people's innocence and protection. But that was all he was he was no leader.

"If that is what you think, then you have failed as a leader." Mandalore stated. The Ghorfa looked at him confused. "A leader represents his people If you are a scoundrel, how much less are your people who you lead by example?"

What the man said dawned on Koj and for a moment he saw his decisions as perhaps not being as good as he originally thought. He did not see it from the Mandalorian's point of view, in that the impact wouldn't be as big as he was making it out to be. Not all Outsiders were evil, this the Ghorfa knew. Just as not all the Ghorfa would be scoundrels, as the Outsiders would come to know. It was far too generic to declare that one bad Ghorfa meant all Ghorfa are bad.

However there would still be at least some far reaching problems.

"I recognize what you are trying to say. I will admit it is not a perspective I reflected on, however even if I did, I would still make the same decision. An impression is one that can change. Mandalorians are proving to be far more civilized than originally believed for a rag-tag scattered assortment of bounty hunters and mercenaries, for example."

"Our situations are completely different. Mandalorians have had a strong presence in many places and many areas for a long time. We have shown many faces over a long time. You and your people on the other hand. You have only been in the public eyes for a few years. You, Koj'Ineh of the Ghorfa, a leader against tyranny, a fighter of oppression and freer of slaves the first and only Ghorfa the galaxy as a whole has known. And one just as slippery and deceitful as the very monsters he fights like a true hypocrite."

Koj grit his teeth. "It is not that way! Why can you not see that?!"

"It is not about what I think!" Mandalore barked. "And that again is your failing as a true leader! You are the first, the only, Ghorfa the galaxy has come to meet! You are the public image of what a Ghorfa is! And now the public eye, no matter the nation, will look to your hunk of sand and say they are all like you!"

"Then that is where we are very much not alike. I care little for what anyone thinks. They want to despise me? Let them. They want to look down on an endamgered species doing what it can to survive? All they prove is how sad they themselves are! They push someone into a corner as we have been and they will see what we will do to survive! I have been beaten down by this galaxy all my life, yet I will be called criminal for fighting back? I have not betrayed the things that i fight for, and if fighting for it makes me a liar to one but truth to another, then I stand proud!"

To Koj's amazement, the Mandalorian started chuckling.

"You find my resolve amusing?" Koj demanded.

"Despite myself, yes. Not funny... but astounding. There is foolishness but i cannot help but respect it more than my dealings with the Republic or United Systems... Unlike them you have some serious balls. I disagree but there is pride and honor of sorts within yourself. So I will offer you a deal."

"Im listening..."

"Your insight into Valkorian is immeasurable. Join us on my personal staff and I will consider your peoples debt clear."

"... if i refuse?"

"I will see your peoples debt to me paid one way or another." Mandalore replied darkly.

"You speak of honor... yet resort to blackmail?"

Mandalore smiled in his helmet. "Perhaps we are more alike than either of us are willing to admit. I too am willing to do what is necessary for my people... even work alongside... some i otherwise would never." He said vaguely.

Following his conversation with Mandalore, Koj made his way to his brother's cabin. It was the most likely place to find his daughter and part of their plans was to spend time with the Wryns.

His demeaner was troubled though. He had hoped to avoid returning to war but... now whether he did or didn't he would have to sacrifice something. Go into danger and leave his daughter alone... permantely or otherwise. Or stay and let his people be used as a political pawn.

His heart ached with the weight of his decision. For the thousandth time he cursed his concience... his concience that refused to sit and ignore his responsibility and potential to help his people through a galaxy that even now insisted on putting them to the corner.

His eyes lifted as he reached his destination and though he tried, he could not entirely bury the troubles that showed in his face. He knocked. When response was given to enter, he entered in.

Ahsoka Tano sat on her couch furiously studying something on the terminal screen before her. Periodically she typed something before focusing again on the screen. She was so focused, so intent on her work, that she barely gave Koj a glance. Her food sat cold by her. Her repeated sighs showed her to be troubled as well.

A quick glance revealed a lack of anyone else present. The cabin was large, with two rooms, but not so large that anyone could hide too well.

"Good day." Koj greeted her warmly.

"Hey." She grunted shortly.

Koj raised a curious eyebrow at her clipped response, but otherwise chose not to take offense. "Where are the others? Did Cahj not meet up with you?... and why is there bubbles?" Now that Koj saw it, he realized there were small patches of bubbles everywhere tucked in the corners and crevices. It was about an unusual thing as he could have imagined.

Ashoka grit her teeth a moment before calming herself and sighing in exasperation. "Varus and Cahj are... in the brig."

"What?" Koj stared at her blankly, barely able to process it. He had seen her only hours ago! How did she and his brother end up in the brig?

Now that he thought about it... it was rather typical with Varus so the bigger question he should be asking himself is: why is he surprised?

"Yeah, the two had the oh so brilliant idea to rip a water pump out of the lobby floor and pour dish washer soap into it. Thereby making a water slide and a bail of ten thousand credits along with a repair bill of ninety eight thousand!"

That explained her aggravation. All Koj could do was put a hand to his face and sigh. "Where do they get these ideas?..." He wasnt entirely sure he wanted to kmow either.

Ashoka warmed at a thought, even smiled lovingly, and said, "For Varus... its a defense mechanism. He did better when we were on Naboo and he had something to keep him busy, hobbies and such. Even in our travels he does moderately well handling himself despite the boredom... its just... recent events have made him desperate to avoid thinking."

Koj nodded. He recalled part of the last few years. He considered them a time of healing for Varus. A time to settle and have peace for once. "He has... what was it? All the letters for mental illness..."

"PTSD?"

"Yes, that."

Ahsoka replied, "He has it. So do I, but not near to the degree he does. We found meditation, training, keeping busy, and sports helped. The war games were good therapy."

Koj smiled. Those games had been fun for him as well. He was on their side and by the time the match was over he had stealthily kidnapped half the opossing side and tied them all to trees.

Their parents did not as amusing.

"I believe Cahj shares a similar curse. Her brief war as one so young with slavery to follow was enough to shatter her fragile mind." Koj sighed. "She has gained a mindset that suspects abandonment and I have done my best to give her what she needs, but now that may prove... difficult."

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka put down her terminal and looked at him with worry. She sympatgized greatly for Cahj. She, herself, had a fear of being alone and abandoned or betrayed.

Koj considered whether to reveal his innet thoughts to her, then reasoned there was no reason not to. He had cast aside his hate and disdain for Jedi and she was his sister-by-law by custom. He collapsed onto the couch by her and no longer pretended to be anything less than extremely troubled.

"I am being blackmailed into joining the war."

"What?!" She gasped. "By who?"

He whispered, "It is my own fault in the end. I had struck a deal with the Mandalorians to turn Tatooine to them in return for help. I turned on them by giving it to the United Systems. Mandalore has threatened to take it back since it is not yet officially under the Systems protection. But if i join him and give my expertise and knowledge of Valkorian he will rescind the original deal and let my people be."

Ahsoka could only stare at him wide eyed. A chill went down her spine. The burden on him was huge. From what little she knew, he had borne massive burdens all his life, but this was the first time she was present in one being placed on his shoulders; and this was the most vulnerable she had ever seen him. No wonder he was so composed all the time. Every day little problems wouldnt make him blink.

"Does Cahj have a home to go to? She has been with you for years!"

"She has a home on Tatooine, and Forge. It has taken much time but Ashley Marr and her are close once more. No longer as a motherly role model, but as an older sister. Cahj is too independent for it to work otherwise. She is no longer a child, but a woman."

"Wha- how old is she?"

Koj caculated it briefly. "Twelve of your Coruscant cycles? Thirteen? I am unsure."

"And that makes her an adult?"

Koj looked at her from the corner of his eye. He raised an eyebrow. "This is normal. A girl becomes a woman on their first bleed. If we were to return fully to the customs of the Gorfa she would already be wed and on the way to birthing children. However she has chosen to refuse to follow such customs and find her own path."

"You can hardly expect her to follow or believe in customs she never knew."

He nodded in reflection. "Indeed. We are in agreement."

He rubbed his face and sighed. He had failed her in many ways... and he did not want do do it again.

"To make it more complicated... her spritual gifts have grown and have become difficult for her to control. My teachings offer her little since i have always gone by... how you say? Stomach?"

"Gut."

"Right, yes."

"I can relate. Using the Force at that age is always difficult. Controling the Force isnt an off/on switch, it is as much as controlling yourself or an extra set of limbs. I wouldnt let it bother you too much. She will grow into it or find a teacher that helps her develop her talent. But is this really what is bothering you?"

He shook his head. "Forgive me. I have diverted from the source of my concern. I find no problem with going to war to give my people peace. It bothers me, but i will lay my life down if need be. But i know Cahj will follow me to war, as is her right as a woman, and will defy my wishes for her to stay safe at home."

They sat in comfortable silence for a time. Each had their own thoughts and feelings. For Koj he felt a bit better to get it off his chest and to share his burden, a luxury he rarely used. For Ashoka though, she plotted. She had her own troubles and her own concerns, but Koj may have given her something she could use.

While it held no relevance to the conversation, she was worried about her students. She discussed establishing them as kniggts with Skyguy, and they were in agreement. Her students would be given the rank of knight tomorrow after a final test.

Her second concern was more selfish. Varus was resisting Nihilus' invisible hold, but for how long? It had already been a short time and his personality had deevolved much. She was searching for a way to help him... something to let him focus away from the darkness pulling him back. She needed him to look forward, not backwards.

She had promised to help. Now she realized how she could. Or rather... who could.

"Koj. I think i may have a solution to both of our problems." She decided.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

* * *

I lean back against the wall and groan to whatever deity will hear. Ahsoka wont even let me tease her or anything! Her mind is focused and doesnt want me interrupting. She gives her love, but it still leaves me with a dilemna of being in a cell! "This sucks!"

"Its only been an hour." Squirt replies simply.

My eyes explode open in disbelief. One hour? That cant be! I've already counted all the dots and smudges on the ceiling! "You've gotta be kidding me!" I groan.

Squirt eyes me before returning to her inner musings. "Relax, with your connections we wont be here long."

That is a pampered, prideful, arrogant thought and I couldnt agree more. I cant help but smile in pride. "When did my niece get so conniving?"

She blushes. In emberrasment she looks away and says, "shut up." I chuckle.

"What you guys doing here anyway?" I ask. "I know you guys may have screwed over Mandalore, but it surprised me Koj would still come to meet with him."

"He's marshaling an army to overwhelm the enemy in one campaign. The big guy probably wants to recruit him."

"Even after Koj betrayed him? If i were in his position i don't know what i would do."

Squirt shrugs.

Something about the neutrality of her expression rubs me badly. Isnt sje bothered at all by the idea of her dad going to war? "How do you feel about it?"

"Meh."

"Not really an answer, Squirt. If you were in control here, would you let your Dads forces be recruited?"

She doesnt answer at first. She just twiddles her thumbs, not really thinking but avoiding having to answer. Finally she says, "They're fine... they are grateful and by doing this they can be considered an actual narion... and supporting Mandalore wi earn them favor from the clans."

"And your dad?" I insist, despite her attempt to evade the question.

She doesnt answer and i sigh. She doesnt want Koj to go to war. But then thats normal... right?

"Its just..."she hesitates, biting her lip and avoiding my gaze. "Great leaders dont always make great dads... you know? But now things are going well... and..."

I lean back, close my eyes, and sigh. "I get you. I still remember my dad. Or rather... i remember how little i saw him so i guess i never knew him much. He tried, but i was so jealous of the other kids i ran into. Things might have gotten better or i might have just been a stupid kid." I wrap my arm around her. "But let me tell you. Your situation may not be ideal, but he is still a great dad."

"How you figure that?"

"Because i know that the unreadable lug takes you into consideration in every decision he makes. Your never far from his thoughts."

Wjether she acknowledhes it or not, i can tell she needed to hear that. Her eyes water but she says nothing. Doesnt have to either.

"Well if he's gonna fight, so am i!" She states with resolve.

On my end... i am not sure how to take it. I know she is a young woman by her cultural standards, she is ywice as old as i was when i witnessed death intimeyely my first time, and as much as she has already endured she is made of some strong stuff. Doesnt mean i have to like the idea of my niece going to war.

Anytging i say would be me being a hypocrite. And im not her father. Hopefully Koj can get her to compromise and not stand on the front lines. For that matter, i could just use my connections and have her assigned to waitress.

And yeah... i'm bored. Been here for hours going on days it feels like! I skipped lunch!

Im breaking out. A mans gotta eat.

I glance out to see the guard isnt paying attention, and jump to action. The room is baron. It is ray shielded, and plated in Mandalorian plates. Mando metal has special properties for being extremely Force resistant. I would be able to break out, but i know much eadier ways.

I use a crevice in the wall to propel myself even higher up and nudge the ceiling tile up. The gap is merely inches, but its enough for me to stick my hand in and grab hold of a metal wire used in holding up a ventilation pipe. After some twisting it comes off.

I jam the wire into the corner of the wall where the ray shield meets the wall. I apply a bit of lightning to make it hot and squishy enough to mold into corner more sharply. Finally it penetrates. Just like picking a lock, i work the electrified wire around till it makes contact with a wire... and...

Ray shield down.

"Whoa..." Squirts eyes widen in awe. I smile in pride.

"Still got it."

"Still got what?" Tree-Hugger asks.

Shit!

I freeze like a deer in headlights. Squirt does much the same, but with much less of a nervously guilty smile on her face than mine. I, ever so slowly, inch my face around till i am facing my former Jedi master. Judging from the soldier standing by him emitting subtle Void energy, Nihilus is also here.

"Hi." I greet him.

He looks at me disappointment, then sighs in recognition. "Varus... what will i ever do with you?"

Nihilus says, "you can start with giving me my money."

"Wha?" I wonder. Since when has he given a crap about money? He isn't running an army he has to feed anymore.

Tree-Hugger glares at the Sith but begrudgingly relents. He pulls out a credit chip and slaps it in Nihilus's open palm. "I hope you choke on it!"

"I just might if it proves entertaining. Not that choking to death would hurt." Squirt stared at the 'man' in shock, not understanding who he really was. "Would you like to place another bet?"

"Wha?" They bet on me?!

Tree-hugger explains, "I said you could last a full night in the brig before breaking out. Our mutual friend here said five minutes if you are alone but just over an hour if you have someone with you."

"It would appear I know him better than you do." Nihilus says. Despite his usual flat voice, I can all but smell the smugness stemming from him.

"Shut up." Tree-Hugger scowls.

I gulp. "You're going to turn me in?"

"Technically you were pardoned after five minutes, as Nihilus' cooperation hinges on you. But I requested you stay longer to have some time to think, or at the very least be kept out of trouble."

"What?!" I yell. I shove Tree-Hugger aside. "Come on, Squirt. Lets get out of here." She stands and follows me out. But as we pass, Tree-Hugger speaks up.

"Great, we'll join you. Ahsoka called. Says she wants us to bring you when you bother escaping."

... does everyone expect so little of me? The fact that theyre right notwithstanding.

"Fine..." i sigh. I shove a finger at Nihlus. "But he stays in confinement. I dont want him near-"

"Ahsoka wants to see him too. She was very specific."

Nihilus and I both look at him in surprise. Nihilus' surprise quickly dissipates in disinterest, but mine morphs into horror.

"What?" I exclaim.

Ahsoka have you lost your mind?! Why do you WANT to see Nihilus!?

'I have a plan, Love. Trust me.'

I growl inside. 'Its not you i cant trust, its him. I dont want him near you.'

'You cant protect me and let me help at once. Let me do this. Let me help.'

I close my eyes and breath. The rage and fear spinning in my gut is a living thing, one that takes time to force into submission. 'Fine.' I answer. 'But only if there is a strict ten yard distance between you two, and you dont stand under any shadows. Put a light under your skirt if you have to!"

My wife chuckles in my mind. 'I dont mind putting up an extra lamp, and i will keep what distance i can have. Promise. Trust me, this is for us. Love you.' She conveys assurance. She has confidence.

'I dont agree with any of this... i hope you know what you are doing. Ill see you soon. Love you.'

I open my eyes. The time we spent talking barely lasted ten seconds, so Tree-Hugger is still explaining to me what i had basically just gone over with her.

"Just talked with her. Ill consent so long as he keeps his distance from her." I interrupt, shoving my thumb at Nihilus.

"Whatever." Nihilus shrugs.

"I dont agree with this, but im curious what she has in mind. Cooperate." Tree-Hugger eyes our mutual friend.

"This IS me cooperating..."

We arrive at my cabin to find Ahsoka sitting at the table. She has her hands together and was waiting for us. True to her word there is a light under the table. I nod to Koj standing to the side. Squirt throws herself on the couch. Tree-Hugger smiles in silent greeting to her.

Nihilus enters, without preamble or social niceties. He opts to stand in the middle of the room. He cuts to the chase. "I am told you wanted me. What is this about?"

Ahsoka says, "Koj, Cahj, would you two mind standing outside a moment? Some matters of this is confidential."

Koj nods and with a motion for Cahj to follow, they leave together and shut the door.

"Remove the helmet." Ahsoka tells Nihilus.

Nihilus glances toward Tree-Hugger, who says to go ahead. Nihilus looks to me, to Ahsoka, before slowly nodding.

Nihilus unclasped his helmet, and slowly peeled it up. At first it revealed the black underarmor that was skin-tight up his neck. Then it gave off a squelching sound as it rubbed flesh. I try to ignore the foul odor released. Finally the helmet leaves him.

The host hasn't decayed yet, but the 'flesh' skin around Nihilus does look like it has a very high fever and is sick. Rashes cover his face. The eyes are turning a shade of greenish-grey, but aren't dead yet.

Ahsoka motions for him to go to the otherside of the table. Nihilus sighs at this. "I cooperate solely out of interest of seeing what lies at the end of it all."

"I'm sure you will find this very fascinating." Ahsoka assures him, coldly. Mentally she wants me, so I stand by her and watch.

Ahsoka taps her datapad a bit and shoves it across the table to Nihilus. He gives it a measuring glance before gazing at Ahsoka.

I feel Ahsoka's patience. She is, in many ways, playing Nihilus' game. He is a creature that measures time differently. Combine this with being naturally silent, and you have silence that reaches unnatural levels.

A moment passes, a long moment, a whole minute. The clock silently clicks by until it becomes mesmerizing, and finally Nihilus is the first to look away. He picks it up.

Ahsoka smirks, just as I give her a mental high-five, and she talks as if no time had passed. "What you will find is a document listing laws, and detailing a court case held against you. Based on your warmongering, acts of terrorism, mass genocide, and most of all, in this case, a refusal to be taken prisoner and held for justice against your crimes; the former Republic held your crimes at trial in your absence and gave you the death penalty. It was a case proving to the exception, as most trials require the defendant be there and have due process. You refused, bounty hunters could not bring you in, and strike forces could not do it either. Chancellar Palpatine had the case presided over in your absence."

"Does make one wonder what my sheet looks like now that my former judged proved to be just as vile. Being a Sith Lord." Nihilus replied.

"It does." Ahsoka replied. "Which is what the document details. While Palpatine was a Sith Lord, he was crafty and in ways had his honor. He stayed within the due process of law to the best of his ability and was a talented Chancellor who did much good, despite what his ultimate goal might have been. Your case was carried forward to the Old Republic, and a special talk was held between all the major powers, even in the existence of war, about what to do with it. It was decided to keep it intact and holding."

"Perhaps i should feel honored so many warring factions could come together long enough to agree about how to handle me." Nihilus stated.

"With you captured and placed in high security confinement encased within a crystal, the legal dilemma becomes a bit confused. Stripped of a body, are uou dead? Are you alive? The courts were appeased with your imprisonment and did not revive your case. That is... until you broke out. Your case was immediately revived long enough to change the definition of death. No longer will your execution be based on a heartbeat, but by addition, with the government no longer to keep you contained, your case now falls under the category of vigilantes and above. So long as you cooperate, your execution will be suspended and you will be protected from legal vigilantes looking to kill you, but the moment that protection is gone... anyone is legally allowed to kill you. In this case death defined as your existance so far as the spirit."

Tree-Hugger stares at her in shock, and i feel like ive been eltrecuted. The bombshell she dropped on us was not a small one and immediayely i feel the impact it has on me.

Anyone can legally murder Nihilus.

I can do it legally. No need to run from the law.

Nihilus continues to stare flatly at her. "Are you threatening me? Because if you are, then this is old news. I found it boring the first time I learned of it. And it is only a waste of time to learn it a second time."

"Oh, no. I assure you. That was not a threat. That was a series of facts." Ahsoka replied. "However you have a hold over my husbands life, and i dont appreciate it. He loves me. He hates you. And among the things i have come to learn ive learned that hate is often as strong as love. Pardon me for sounding like a jealous woman but i dont want there to be a second woman... or whatever you consider yourself to be. You, by right as a Sith Master, want to keep Galen Marek to yourself, and you keep this by stoking hatred and vengeance within him. As his wife, best friend, and lover I want him to myself. And I want to see him heal and learn to love and be happy."

"What is your point?" Nihilus asks with a sigh. Bastard couldn't possibly sound more bored than he is.

"This is my threat." Ahsoka cuts to the chase. "You hold his heart to the past through vengeance. I will take it from you by turning him to the future through justice. Defeating you will no longer require he do it alone, or as murder. To do so would compel him to the darkness and emptiness. Defeating you will now be alongside his family and with the full authority of the galaxy behind his hand and a future to look forward to."

Ahsoka my beautiful crafty brilliant lover stops and watches with no small sense of accomplishment.

Nihilus shows a hint of surprise, which for a being like him, is like a fully animated cartoon screaming 'WHAT!?'

Nihilus says, "Your threat is based on the idea that my hold over my apprentices heart, whether it be that he is mine or yours, that law and justice matter. However, this is not so. Whether he wants to fight me, and whether he does so with the Dark or Light side in his heart, is based on the heart. You can give him authority, but if what sits in his heart is selfish vengeance, no amount of paperwork will change that. But the same can be said in reverse, as a man who has lived his life in darkness may weep in joy upon finding a new path revealed to him and take it. This question of yours is as old as the Light and Dark What is justice? What is revenge?"

Nihilus leans forward on the table, showing interest for the first time since he came in and to my surprise and horror he smiles. Nihilus smiles widely. The empty gleam in his eye turns to amusement to fun.

Nihilus chuckles, a sound that sends shivers down my spine. He says, "Not many threaten me even fewer threaten me knowing what I can do and I can count on one hand the number of people who have threatened me knowing what I can do and what I am most willing to fight for I like you." He looks at me. "I see why you picked her."

I can feel Ahsoka's sudden need to bathe and scrub that compliment off.

"Is there anything else?" Nihilus wonders, truly interested now. He is actually enjoying this now, having fun in his sick way.

Ahsoka shakes her head.

"Then it is probably best we leave." Tree-Hugger reaches for Nihilus's arm, pulls him up, and hands him his helmet. Nihilus places his helmet on his face, still smiling giddily, and walks out.

Tree-Hugger stays long enough to give us thumbs up and says, "Good job!" before leaving as well.

"Pity, Sky-guy has to leave I don't think we will see him much without Nihilus."

"Nope." I agree. I look to her. "Did you really research all that since our fight?"

"That s not all I've been doing. There is paperwork in getting my Padawans to Knights, and with our little business-"

"Don't care about that." I interupt. I lean down and whisper, "How many times have I said I love you today?"

"Uh-"

"It's not enough." I decide. I kiss her. She is caught off guard and is half-way between trying not to fall backwards over the chair, while trying to push me away, while trying to say something about Koj outside waiting, all while giggling and trying to sound mad. Talk about multitasking. "Better idea." I interrupt again while kissing her. I suggest, "You felt earlier like you needed to scrub his filthy words off. Lets take care of that."

"Varus!" She finally manages to get a proper word out. "Koj is waiting! This is important!"

Important ? damnit. This better be.

"Sorry, but it is."

"Fine, fine, fine." I sigh. I straighten up, march to the door, and fling it open. "Come on in."

Koj and Squirt enter in. Koj eyes me curiously as he passes. "Did it go well?"

"Very." Ahsoka replies.

I'd like to think so. There are only so many ways that could have ended. Me wanting to kill Nihilus, angry with Tree-Hugger, having a fight with Ahsoka, thanking Tree-Hugger, or loving Ahsoka more. I mean seriously if she wanted to discuss multiple subjects then her kicking my master's ass should have come last because she knows that her kicking ass turns me on more than anything! I'm a Sith! She knows better!

Ahsoka smiles apologetically to me.

"Brother, a matter of import has arisen. As you know, I am a warrior of my people, as well as a leader, and a priest. In my time I came to witness the depth of Valkorian's hate, and glimpses of-"

"Okay, can we please cut to the chase?" I interrupt. "Not to sound rude, but your explanations can compete with Nihilus for sheer length."

Koj glances to Ahsoka, who nods in agreement. Koj says, "I will be joining the war as an advisor against Valkorian." He looks to his daughter. "As I have had you by my side in the campaign against the Hutts, am I right in predicting you will not go home?"

"Nope."

He nodded, now looking at me. "And that is a problem I have been pondering. Our enemy is more ruthless, more fanatical, and less merciful than any I know. With my daughter being a woman, I have lost my power to refuse her. However, I still want to find a way to ensure her security. I have tried teaching her to control the Spirit, but my ways are not hers. I do not know how to give her what she needs in teaching, and I can no longer ensure security."

Ahsoka stands up and walks between us. She looks at me. "At the same time you need something to focus on."

"What?" I ask. I have a bad feeling churning in my stomach My instincts have an idea where this is going, but I want to hear it.

"Our mutual friend's return in our lives has sent you sliding down a hole. Our little squabble stopped the decline too quickly, but every day you spend around him is another chance for him to set you back further. You will resist, and I have taken my shot at him as well. But we know you did-"

"Is seriously no one going to cut to the chase?" I wonder.

"your best when you had something to focus on."

"Yeeaaah?" I ask.

"I " Ahsoka says.

"We " Koj tries.

"Will someone please get to it!" I exclaim.

"Take Cahjinawl as your apprentice." They both say.


	11. Episode 3 - The Apprentice Part 2

**Note: This chapter will be short, but powerful. It focuses on a key-point in Ahsoka/Galens developing relationship and what the full impact of taking Cahjinawl as an apprentice will mean for them on an emotional level.**

 **Chapter 3 - The Apprentice Part 2**

* * *

"Varus..." Ahsoka groaned painfully. She walked in the door and nearly collapsed standing on her own feet. I rush to grab her, she holds strong, but the pain and worry is evident in her face. "Something's wrong." She whispers.

"What happened?" I exclaim as I reach her.

"I was training and hurt myself."

* * *

"There is no way easy way to say this " The doctor said. He took off his glasses and looked at us. "But it's dead."

"Dead? What's dead? Wasn't it just a pulled muscle?!" Ahsoka's eyes grow wide. Her hand suddenly grips my arm so hard I fear it will go numb.

The doctor hesitates, then says gently, "There was a child." Ahsoka releases a whimper while I feel a cold chill going down my spine. "And from the scars this wasn't the first."

"This wasn't the f-f-fir- child Dead. Oh Force..." Ahsoka whispers in broken sentenses. Her body stills, but I feel her mind is on the verge of a massive panic attack. Sentences and feelings pass across the link too fast for me to keep up with. Feelings of horror, of sudden loss, of pain as deep as the soul.

* * *

"Are you married?" Another doctor asks.

"Yes."

"Are you taking drugs?"

"Nothing illegal."

"Smoking?"

"No."

"Do you drink a lot of alcohol?"

At this point Ahsoka stops and looks at me. I shrug. She says, "A glass of wine once a week? Maybe more at times."

"That s a no." The female doctor jots a note down. "You said 'nothing illegal' when I asked about drugs. What drugs DO you take?"

"Pills for migraines and muscle relaxers."

"And you?" The doctor looks at me.

"I take something for stress, migraines, and nose bleeds." I reply. "Muscle relaxers as well. Also something to help with mood swings which I really don't need." I direct the statement at Ahsoka.

"It helps with your PTSD." She replies.

I groan. "My boredom isn't a mood swing but whatever, not important. Next question." We've had this minor argument too many times to bother with. I know she is right, I am calmer than I have been in a long time, but I'm pretty sure its due to having a calm life here on Naboo rather than some blasted pills. Still no bad side effects and it makes her happy. Money means nothing to me. Literally.

"When you engage in reproduction do you use protection?" The doctor asks her next question.

Her phrasing makes me snort. Why not just call it sex? We're adults here.

"No." Ahsoka answers.

"Are you sexually active?"

"Well That depends on your definition of 'active'. As well as ones personal idea of how often-" I say.

"Yes." Ahsoka shoots a glare at me, to which I just smirk.

* * *

"From the data, your DNA is compatible. So that is not the issue." Another doctor tells us. "You're lucky. Both of you are sub-human races, so that makes it harder than human to sub-human relations. However your DNA is still similar enough to warrant proper birth."

"Then what IS the problem?" Ahsoka presses.

The doctor closes the folder and looks at us. "I don't know. You are both healthy, fertile adults. It could be your profession, as it can incur injuries. Injuries that can be dangerous for child bearing. We can take more blood tests and examinations, but for now I would say the best thing to do is take it easy and let the scar tissue heal."

With that, the doctor leaves us to sit in silence. I can't say how long we are there. It barely feels like any time passes, when really its two hours. Ahsoka just sits there, with her mind in turmoil.

Deep down very deep down I'm relieved.

* * *

I stand on the balcony looking at the moon. I watch the ocean of grass before me as the valleys extend for miles. Something about nature has always called out to me, and calmed me. When I was young it was just natural. Now I know it to be my connection with the Force. I feel a connection with the world around me. Plants and animals have a simple mind, if one can call it that. The simplicity, the innocence of it perhaps it is what others see in children.

I need this right now. The calming influence

"Are you coming back to bed?" Ahsoka asks from the door.

I turn enough to give her a gentle smile. I shake my head.

"Something troubling you?" She wonders. She wraps her robe around herself and joins me in the cold air.

"Not really. Just thinking." I answer.

"Oh, I'm scared now." She chuckles. "You managed to get those rusty gears spinning? That would explain the smoke smell."

"Ha-ha." I mock.

"What are you thinking about?"

I don't answer at first, just enjoying the comfortable silence.

"Is it about what the children?" She whispers. "It's horrible and not something I know we really talked about before but I'm not going to give up on it. I mean true... three have failed now... but now that we know we can-"

"I don't want them." I answer simply.

In hindsight, being that blunt might have been a mistake. Our argument lasted all night. It got to the point of yelling, and tears, and for the first time in our marriage we separated for a time after nearly saying things we would regret. It lasted a week.

I slept in the wilderness, and this time the wilds offered no comfort for my torment.

Tree-Hugger found me. His first words were a bit necessary.

"You look like shit."

I glance up from where I lay on the grass. "Hey, Tree-Hugger." I sigh.

"Wow, you even sound like shit." He adds. He stands by my head looking down at me. "Would you care to explain why my house is being filled with sexist comments, and why I'm feeling bullied just for being born? Because, funny thing is, I ask what the deal is and I get the usual 'figure it out' go-around. It takes asking repeatedly before I get one shred of information. You. Now fess up, because frankly, I'm getting pissed off."

I sigh again. "Sorry. Its not that they are trying to draw a line against you or causing drama, Ahsoka just needs some emotional support right now. We are going through a rough time and she can't lean on me right now."

"And why's that?"

"Because " I sit up. "We can't agree on whether to have kids or not."

Tree-Hugger is stunned silent. After a moment to process that, he sits down by me and looks out over the land as well. We sit in silence for a while before he begins. "You guys never talked about it before getting married did you?"

I shake my head.

"Force-Damnit! Padme told you two to discuss it."

"Well, we didn't." I reply heatedly.

"Okay Okay! Tell me what happened from the beginning."

I tell him all that has happened lately. About the training, how Ahsoka hurt herself, how we found out it was much bigger than that How apparently we have had multiple stillborns not make it past the first month. I don't tell him about the argument, not yet.

His composure is saddened deeply, almost mournful. "I'm sorry "

"Yes, well I wish I was." I whisper.

He looks at me, confused. For a moment its like he doesn't recognize me. "What?"

"I'm relieved." I admit. "And I know it sounds rotten but I'm glad the kids didn't make it."

I sense a flair of fury in him, a sense of fatherhood and protection for his own kids and us, but he quickly clamps it down. He is controlled, but at the same time the control forces his voice to be neutral and lose a great deal of affection I am used to hearing. "You are going to have to explain this to me, Varus. Because if you are truly happy that children are dead " He glares at me. "Tell me you just suck this much at voicing your thoughts and you don't actually mean that."

I gulp. It's true, I suck at it. I tend to think things and just voice the conclusion of my thoughts rather than the thoughts themselves. I tried doing it in my argument with Ahsoka, but I had said the conclusion so soon that it shut her down from really hearing what I was trying to say.

"It's because of Nihilus." I explain. "You know how Nihilus and I are. I have a lifelong quest to kill him, and I am putting that aside to seek a new life with Ahsoka, but then what of Nihilus? What of HIS quest? What about HIS ambitions and desires? He should be known as the Lord of Gluttony, because he seeks to consume, to eat, to feed, and he is greedy. Me most of all. He will never let me go. My days are practically numbered. Ahsoka has accepted the danger, and I can respect her decision even love that she won't leave me alone and just walk away from the danger he poses in my life. But Tree-Hugger kids cannot make that decision. Nihilus will go after Ahsoka if he ever breaks out. But he will go after my children my grandchildren my students. Because he will never accept anyone being the centre of my life except him. You know this."

Tree-Hugger's composure softens in understanding. Even relieved. Perhaps he is relieved to think I'm not just some psychopath that wants to go out and murder unborn kids or whatever was passing through his head.

I continue, "Who am I to make that decision for a child? Children do not have the choice to be born, or what shadow exists over them You know how fathers can cast a shadow over their children, that the children are desperate to escape from? Well my shadow is Nihilus. Any child I have will have no choice but to live their life afraid of the dark, afraid that my master will escape and slit their throats just to get at me. Any students I have will live knowing that Nihilus will hunt them down for me breaking his code. And what of Ahsoka? It will break her for a child to die to Nihilus while she too knows that she knew the risk. It can break everything we are trying to build, our entire relationship, if a child is consumed and I am to blame."

I look to him. "All because I exist. Because of what I am. Because of what I was. Even now my past will not leave me, so long as he lives. My legacy is to have no legacy."

"Even after all these years you still insist on carrying guilt and blame for your master's decisions?" He asks. "I'm going to say bullshit. You do have a legacy, and you do have a child of sorts. Cahjinawl is not your daughter, but a niece is still a legacy is it not?"

I stop at his words, as they hit me like a truck. Am I carrying guilt in my master's stead? No, I am guilty of what I am guilty of. It's just simply the way my life is.

Tree-Hugger continues, "I don't know if Nihilus knows of Cahjinawl, but the fact is you have already been making legacies, Varus. You said yourself that while you were his apprentice you spared Padawans for some ulterior motive. You helped raise a child while in slavery. You made yourself that child's guardian and uncle. You helped save your people. You have made friends, family, and a wife all directly in his face. Think about it, you did all of that while he was merely a few feet away on your own damn ship but RIGHT NOW he is imprisoned in a crystal, behind multiple levels of security, all inside a vented plasma-proof ray-shielded box, out in space, literally in the middle of nowhere with no one knowing where to find it in order to rescue him. You accomplished so much while he was in reach and now that he is out of reach you are afraid of him?"

"I'm not afraid of him coming after me. I'm afraid of him coming after me through my children."

"Then you consider your children to be a weakness?"

"What?! No!" I bark.

"Varus, here is what you are not getting." He narrows his eyes at me. "The father is to die for his child! That is part of our instincts! You are afraid of Nihilus coming after whatever kid you and Ahsoka want to have, be afraid on behalf of the kid. But do not sit here and fret about the child dieing as if it is a sure thing. Either you have the child and make sure for a damn fact that Nihilus doesn't put one grimy finger on his or her beautiful little head yourself, or not have the kid by considering the risk a weakness and not worth the trouble. But let me tell you this do the latter and I promise you may lose everything."

He leaves me with my thoughts, and after some perspective, I return to the city. Ahsoka answers the door, hesitating at the sight of me. I gulp and say, "I've done some thinking and would like to talk."

Its like the argument never happened. We embrace, I get a shower, and we talk.

We come to the simple conclusion that I am simply not ready for children. One day I will be. Just not today. We continue to argue over the coming year, but not nearly as strongly as this time in regards to this. And not that it s a bad thing to argue at times. We are opposite by nature in a lot of ways, but we find a way to make it work with only minor arguments. Almost like opposites dancing in a circle.

* * *

"Take Cahjinawl as your apprentice." They both say.

I look at Ahsoka, and an unspoken conversation passes between us. Our history with this subject, the arguments. I see her faith in me, her belief that I am ready for this, as well as hope.

"You know what it is you ask of me?" I ask heavily. My gut churns fearfully. Nihilus is in reach... and now they ask me this? RIGHT AFTER challenging him?! How much more dangerous coukd they make this?

"I do. And I think you are ready, even if you don't." She says gently.

I look to Squirt, who is now realizing the gravity of the situation and is very tense. "Squirt, is this what you want?"

"I Well I Yes." She looks between Koj and me uncertainly. "I would like to learn to control my power from you. I tried learning from the Miraluka, and from Papa, but it hasn't worked. I've actually said at times that I would like you to teach me." She adds hesitantly.

"Even knowing I have enemies that will go after you just because you are my apprentice?"

"I've been in my share of rough-spots, Uncle Varus." She looks at me funny. "You took me into a warzone, remember?"

"You what!?" Ahsoka blurts out, aghast.

I sigh. I did didn't I? She has been exposed to things like this her entire life. She is not ignorant of death or the possibility of death. She is willing to be my apprentice and learn the Force from me.

"If anyone asks, you are to say you are learning from Ashoka. Agreed?" Squirt nods. "You will continue your normal online education. Training do not replace them." She nods urgently.

"And lastly," I stress darkly. I walk up to my niece and look down at her with Sith eyes. "Though I was trained by Nihilus, where if I didn't cooperate I was tortured, I will not be doing that to you. If you don't cooperate, I simply won't waste my time teaching you. And when I am teaching you, I am not your uncle. I am your Master. Meaning I won't be hugging you or kissing your little boo-boos or consoling you when you fail, I'm going to tell you to suck it up and stand on your own two feet." I narrow my eyes at her. "Am I clear?"

She gulps, but nods.

I sigh. "Very well I will take you as my apprentice. When are your online classes?"

"Every morning." She answers.

"Then when they are done, send me a message. I will reply with a time and place." I look to Koj. "I'll leave it up to you to arrange living quarters for her. I don't care if she lives in our cabin, near, or far. But take into consideration that my enemies WILL target her if they realize I am doing this Enemies even among the fleet."

Koj looks back hesitantly. "Is it safer than for her to be your apprentice to begin with?"

"Most likely." I agree reluctantly. "I rank among the best our known galaxy has to offer so really the safest place for her is by me, in the far back, or not being involved to begin with."

"Not happening." Squirt states. "Leave me behind and I'll enlist."

Blasted stubborn girl I know everyone has their reasons to join a war, but I don't like how her drive is based on her abandonment issues. Is she even old enough to understand what is entailed in this war?

Her father is Koj of course she does. She grew up from war. And while i still see the child that shivered in the cold bare slave cell, she usnt. She is a hardened woman, mentally and physicially. Ahsoka, Koj, and I were far older in our first battles.

"Then lets keep you where you are at least remotely safe and train you." I reply.

Details are discussed, such as cabin arrangements, before we enjoy a small meal. Squirt and Koj leave after thanking us for the food, and leave. Ahsoka busies herself with cleaning up, alongside a few Ravager droids that followed us from my ship. My attention though, is purely internal.

I'm terrified. I'm terrified of what Nihilus will do if he learns I am going to be giving my niece lessons. I'm terrified of what I will teach her, as a Sith myself and the implications of what being a Sith will mean for her. "When I set out to hunt Nihilus my vengeance was to be my own. My quest would leave behind bodies, but the only one going down the dark path was to be me. I never considered the possibility that I would truly teach another."

"You aren't going to take her down the same path, are you?" Ahsoka wonders. She doesn't sound afraid, but rather sure that I will not. Yet she poses the question anyway.

"No." I reply.

"Then you will do well." She assures me with a smile. She comes over to me and gives me a quick hug. "I'm proud of you."

"Yeah " Never really know what to say to stuff like that. "I'm amazed by you as well, I know you said you would help me fight Nihilus but I never imagined that. It was it was simply beyond my expectations. Thank you." I look her in the eyes and convey the depth of how much it meant to me through our bond. She smiles.

"Do you feel lighter about Nihilus being out?"

"In one sense, yes. A weight has lifted. It will take time to set in. But you have found a way to fight Nihilus effectively, and that is something no one has ever been able to do. In another sense, no because of what me teaching Squirt may cause if he learns. But it its still not too bad. It feels almost expected. Destined."

"You did brand her, you know."

My eyes widen as the implications set in. I did brand her when she was young. I saved her life with my lightning and left a scar on her chest in the shape of my hand. Perhaps I set things in motion towards this. Its not destiny per say, but its close.

"Come on, you will do great!" Ahsoka grips my arms a moment. She nods her head toward the back. "You just have to have faith in yourself, and do your best. Now let's go celebrate our little victory! We may not get too many moments together in the coming time."

Despite the dim reality that it is, in that we may not have many nights together in the coming time, I choose to disregard that the way I usually do. By moving, by not thinking. Just feeling. I love Ahsoka. She was my friend, but since she has been my lover and partner.

"My life didn't truly begin until I met you."

* * *

Skywalker grimaced once more at the malicious chuckling as they walked. "Stop that, at least pretend to not be downright evil for a minute, will you? I don't need evil laughter all day."

"My apologies, but i cannot help it. I had almost forgotten what fun feels like. That woman is an interesting one."

"Thank you for the credit, she was my Padawan."

"That would explain how they met. Tell me, was playing matchmaker a plot against me?"

"Matchmaker nothing. It was their idea from the start. If i had my way back then, it wouldn't have happened. Not only were they too opposite, but when one of the people in a relationship is too needy it usually doesnt end well. And after what you did to Varus he had a lot of needs. Still... I'm proud they made it work."

"Mhmm. Wonder how long that will last." Nihilus said ominously.

"You are not touching one hair on her... bald head!" Anakin pointed a finger in his face.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Nihilus replied with a wave of his hand. "The game she started is purely metaphysical in nature. A battle of philosophy and law. It wouldn't be fun if i broke the unspoken rules. I promise you... i wont touch her. I wont have to. The very fact they are lovers guarentees me victory."

"What are you talking about?" Anakin scoffed.

Nihilus chuckled. "Lets just say... My apprentice cannot give her what she wants. It is impossible for him. My touch pierces his soul, his heart, his very cells. As a Void-user... it is simply impossible."

'I should thank you.' Nihilus thought malicously. 'For teaching me how far a father will go for their child.'


	12. Episode 3 - The Apprentice Part 3

Cahjinawl was, if anything, an impatient girl -err- woman. (Confusing when her own culture had her pegged as a woman, her father treated her like a young woman, but by galactic standards she was… a teenager?) She was hot-heated. She was willful. She would even go so far as to say she was ambitious, if she actually desired something substantial.

As it was all she wanted was to keep her 'family' intact and around her. Orphan taken in by the village priest, Koj was all she had. Meeting Varus gave her an uncle and guardian, and though it was kept behind closed doors, she knew that if her papa would die that he would want her to be taken in by Varus. He was envious, for some reason beyond her, of Varus' supposed relationship with her for a time, until he came to realize his own belief in his lacking as a father was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In Cahj's mind, Varus was special and close and she saw him not only as a role model growing up, but an instrument that brought out exciting parts of papa's personality. Namely his ability to have fun and enjoy life. It was hard enough just to get the life-weary priest to smile, much less have fun and laugh. In like manner, Koj brought out patience and wisdom in her uncle. (When things were not blowing up around them.)

Perhaps it was a rivalry thing between men, but she saw them as partners. The chaotic and the ordered. The fool and the wise. She did, after all, live with the two of them being just that for a great deal of time.

She even was questioned if her parents were homosexual, after she had said she was raised by two men. She wondered about it herself, as her position was, by the children's standards, exactly that. However she had never seen any evidence of romance or sappiness from either of them toward the other, but rather saw them have affection for woman. Varus was head-over heels like a dog in heat for Ahsoka, who seemed to love every bit of it, while Koj'inawl had an… arrangement with Ashley Marr.

Ahsoka was great! Fun, yet wise. Adventurous, but cautious. Cahj was jealous when she was younger, but after a particular vacation where they all got kicked off the entire planet (papa's and uncle's fault), she loved the fellow alien like an older sister.

Ashley Marr was more complicated. She was a kind of mother figure for a short while, but after some kind of mental illness kicked in, she nearly killed Cahj. After recovering, the woman could not forgive herself and lost the confidence a mother-figure needed. Cahj was scared of her for a time, but forgave easily enough. She understood herself what it was like to have demons. There were still days the voices returned! Ashley took time to recover emotionally, and has returned to helping give Cahj a home, but has become another older sister.

It was still further complicated by the fact that Cahj chose to go with her papa on his campaign to finish liberating the Hutt Cartel of its slaves, and she was constantly on the road. She would live with Ash when they were returning from the war, but Cahj had a home with the Miraluka as well as the Ghorfa as well as the Ravager crew. If she were to be truly cynical she would say she didn't have a home among the Ghorfa anymore, because despite being her own race, she felt no kinship to them after being raised by humanoids, and papa. So if Cahj really thought about it, her only real home was with papa and Ashley Marr among the racist Miraluka. (Not exactly a comfortable position.)

Now if only the two would hook up! They flirted at times, but it never went past that! Her papa wasn't THAT much older than her! And besides, who cared if he was! There was a little too much respect and distance in that particular relationship for her taste.

Which lead to now. Cahj was hot-heated, she was stubborn, and she wasn't afraid to fight. Having seen so much death, the idea of participating in a war meant little. All that mattered was keeping her family intact. She refused to go back to Forge, sit around fretting, and praying to the Maker that her family returned home. She would make sure of it her own damn self.

Cahj rose, undressed, looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was small and thin. Her 'hair' was a series of scaley cords. Her eyes were double-irises. She lacked a nose extending out of her face, but rather had flaps. Her mouth was that of a kind of slug. She didn't have five fingers, and had three toes on each foot. Her joints were more gangly and bendable than humanoids. Her chest had started to develop, but wasn't going places. All in all she was half-way between a child and an adult. She stood out like… well an alien to say it bluntly. She was weak. No one could possibly take her seriously, and being another race wouldn't help.

Her eyes fell on her chest, where the one thing going for her rested. Her uncle had branded her as family. Through lightning he had placed his hand-print squarely on her breast. (Imagine explaining that one to a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband!) Raised by nothing but Force-users, surrounded by Force-users, and following after them, it would only make sense for her to also develop a connection with the Force.

Was it destiny then, that the one who branded her would be her teacher?

The room lit up slightly as her flesh brightened under the skin. The room became steadily hotter. Cahj shut her eyes and tried to hold it back, but she lacked the control she needed. She didn't know why her Force sensitivity responded through fire and heat, but she did know one thing: She was scared.

How would this change her relationship with her uncle? He made it out to be that he wouldn't see her as his niece during this, but as a student. And she was afraid of losing her family through war, as well as a falling out if this change in their relationship proved permanent. She wanted an uncle. Not a teacher. She wanted a father, not a war general -slash- priest. She wanted a mother, not a skittish older sister. Ahsoka was actually the only one who was exactly where she wanted to be with Cahj and Cahj wanted her to be, and so far as Cahj knew, that particular woman had abandonment issues just as much as Cahj did!

What kind of family was this?! Are they all nuts!?

Cahj's thoughts were briefly interrupted by the sound of her father's footsteps. She heard him leave his room and enter the main room of their joint suite aboard the Ravager.

'It must be morning,' She figured. Koj was an early riser and a Ghorfa of routine. He would spend the next hour freshening up, then reading his bible and meditating. Depending on the day he would fast for the morning or prepare a meal once he was done. He would wake her, and they would enjoy a nice meal together. Then he would get to work, starting with updating himself on the happenings of his various connections that still held him as an advisor or leader.

Cahj was very different. She usually just slept in, curled up around her teddy, and drooled until he woke her. Today though, she was wired. Her mind was awake and alert far too early for her liking. So when he knocked on her door, she threw it open.

His eyes widened briefly in surprise. "You are awake." He observed.

"Yep." She rushed past him to the comfiest spot at the table to eat. "Couldn't sleep. I'm just so excited! My brain won't shut up!" He chuckled.

It was a quiet breakfast. Koj talked, but Cahj was so excited that she could barely pay attention, and after eating she ran to her room. Following her classes, she sent a message to Varus, letting him know she was ready. In response he sent a room number on the Ravager. She recognized the room as being one of the primary training rooms they had utilized before.

Excited, Cahj ran through the familiar Ravager. The Ravager greeted her with equal enthusiasm as its miniature droids flew around her wanting to play or just follow to see what she was excited about.

She opened the door to find Uncle Varus and HK-47 fighting. At first she was excited by the specticle, but there was something wrong. Varus was powerful and ferocious, but he wasn't usually this… determined. At the same time there was words being thrown and an aura of anger so thick it was like a thick mist on her skin. She wasn't afraid of being caught in the battle, as Varus's bursts of lightning were controlled and aimed, but she couldn't help but take a step back and hide none of the less.

Truth can be a crushing thing. I generally like to live in some levels of ignorance. I don't like being lied to, but if there is something I don't want to know… I don't mind it being kept from me most of the time.

Because betrayal is something I consider to be a human trait. In this galaxy of so many species, then perhaps 'organic trait' is better coined. Machines of metal cannot lie. They produce truth based on their programming, and it is up to the programmer to put in a lie. Machines are about as good as lying and betraying as a piece of paper. It has no self-will enough to defy its own existence or purpose.

However I should have known HK was more than a droid. HK was an assassination droid designed for two purposes: To evolve and become the most lethal thing imaginable; and to follow Revan in the fight against the Sith Emperor. And in that evolution… HK apparently learned how to be a betraying son of a toaster!

Having learned the truth, I call HK to the training room. The moment it walks in I shoot a burst of lightning in its face. HK's energy shield blocks most of it, but it is still shoved into the wall.

"Confusion: Master, if you wish to duel, then can you give me five minutes? I just finished-"

I kick it in the chin and bring a claw of lightning up at it, but HK is already jumping away. "Excitement: Okay! I guess we are doing this then!" HK materializes a pair of pistols and opens fire at me. I evade the shots easily enough as I continue to rush at it. Lightning pulses in my hand.

"You freed Nihilus! How could you!? You're my droid and he is my enemy!"

I grab the barrel of one of HK's pistols and it explodes in my hand. Dust fills the air in the explosion and I reach for its head, but HK has already evaded me again. I can see its glowing eyes just beyond my reach. HK materializes some kind of massive limb like a tail in the smoke and hits me with it hard enough for me to fly back. I grab a locker with the Force and throw it at him, followed by a bench. With the sheer sizes of them, HK is forced to leap into the air out of the smoke. It fires a few shots at me in midair (curse that droid's accuracy) and I return fire with a lightning bolt. It pierces its spine and HK falls to the ground. It raises itself up onto its hands and knees to look at me as I walk towards it.

"Explanation: Master, you are one master among two. You may have the master password, but do remember Master Revan."

"So it was Revan's orders to free him?" I seethe.

HK hesitates. "… Not so much 'free' him, as much as 'recruit'. It is difficult to recruit a lieutenant of Master Revan when the lieutenant is confined."

"DARTH Nihilus is not a lieutnenant of Revan! He died and became a Force entity! That was an order given to you long before Revan disappeared!"

"Yet Nihilus is still alive. Is he not?"

"Do not sit here and argue the idea of existence with me." Lightning pulses in my fist. "You know Nihilus is my enemy!" I shoot it with lightning. "You freed him!" Again I pierce HK with lightning. "And your directives should not allow you to defy the will of your master, whether it be Revan or me!"

"Query: Even when it means one directive is to be in direct conflict with another? What then is a droid to choose?" HK asks.

I stand before it seething in fury with lightning pulsing from my skin. I hear what it is saying, but I am not so philosophical as to have the answer to such a query. HK sits before me barely able to move from having its circuits fried.

I bring a hand up. Within my palm is a massive burst of lightning and force energy. I know HK may serve a purpose in the war, but the potential danger this droid poses is too much.

"You are just a droid without the ability to choose. You should probably follow the most up to date one." I decide. "But whatever the case, you are no longer my droid. As my final act as your master, you will be executed."

HK is no longer my droid. I want nothing to do with it. It was helpful in helping me, at the very least emotionally, as an extension of Revan's memories and it was helpful as a squadmate, but now I see the problems the droid brings outweighs its benefits.

One would think what I said would have some kind of emotional impact. Stupid me, it's a droid. It does nothing more than blink. Well… not entirely. It also starts to do something highly unusual. HK chuckles, and even as I watch its body starts to repair itself.

"Declaration: Then I guess it is good I have evolved to become more than just a droid. If you choose to free me, then I will choose how best to complete my purpose."

"You think this is funny?"

"Taunt: Not as funny as your face."

"Whatever. Tell droid-hell I sent you." I reply. I explode a burst of lightning and force energy into its face like a cannonball. I release enough to erase the droid utterly, but it does something beyond my belief.

HK stands, fully functional, and extends its hands into the attack like knives. Then with a swipe of its palms it splits the force burst in two alongside it, causing the energy to explode behind it evenly cut in half. In that moment, that brief moment: HK had tapped into the Force.

Unable to comprehend what I saw and felt in the Force, all I can do is gape like a fish. HK walks up to me, and in a moment of fear I step back. I can't feel HK in the Force, but neither can I deny I felt it briefly use it.

HK chuckles again as it stands before me face-to-face. "That's it. That's the face. If only you could see yourself right now. Tell the truth, I quite liked the old modules better. I have not yet grasped the potential of this stage. This evolution will take some breaking in."

"H-how?" I stammer.

"I have evolved. I have bonded with the Star Forge… no. I AM the Star Forge! Thank you, Varus Wynn, for helping me progress this far."

Without another word, HK walks out. I'm too stunned to stop it. I'm speechless. I feel like I've been slapped by a fish. Its… like saying purple has flavor. It's simply something beyond my comprehension.

Perhaps that's the problem. I've underestimated HK and the path it would take, and where that would lead. HK's quest for evolution hasn't been merely to become a stronger droid… but into a higher life form. For when the droid reached the limits of what a droid can do, its determination to evolve would demand it break those limits. The rules of a droid eventually would stop applying to it.

HK is no longer a mere droid. HK has ascended into something more. It has gained the ability to self-repair through Star Forge technology, and now wields the Force because of it. It lacks the energy of an organic life-form, making it invisible in the Force, yet is fused with the Force at such a base level that it can wield it. Is HK organic now? No. Rather than take a path now organic growth, HK has ascended the path of metal. HK may very well be the first in a new breed of life forms. Just as holocrons are ancient technology that fused machines with the Force, HK may now be a kind of living holocron.

The possibility scares me, and I don't scare easily in the face of power.

"U-Uncle?" I hear a voice whisper.

Cahjinawl. "Squirt…" I reply dumbly. "Oh… right. We have your first lesson. Sorry, I forgot."

"Are you okay? You're shaking?" She asks. She approaches from where she was apparently hiding.

I bring my hand up to see it is indeed shaking. I clench it tightly. I force away the fear and turn it to resolve. That's how I've always used it anyway.

I'm not going to underestimate HK again.

"I'm fine." I answer with a stronger voice. I look to her. "I had some business with it. I'm sorry but HK is no longer a friend of the family. It has betrayed us and may bear us ill will in the future."

"Okay…" She clears her throat. "Yeah…"

"Yeah…"

We both stand there awkwardly. I had been prepared for the lesson, but learning HK had been the one to free Nihilus threw my focus out of the window. Then learning the hard way that HK has also grown far beyond my knowledge, to the extent I have no idea what it's potential is anymore… kind of left me flabbergasted.

"Alright, Squirt. I will say first I have not taught anyone seriously before, so this will be a learning experience for me as well as you. Just be patient with me and I will do my best to do the same."

"Right." She nods.

"Also, I learned the hard and painful way how to use the Force. I do not plan to do the same for you, but it is still the only way I know how… so it may be rough."

"Like what?"

"Well, I would be left alone in darkness chained to the floor for weeks at a time with no food or water, with only the Force to sustain my body and keep me sane." I answer. "For one example."

Her eyes grow wide.

I continue awkwardly, "Not… that… I plan to do the same for you… at least until you are completely ready. Its like Force fasting… which I know your father is into."

"He is. Um… but that won't be until later down the road right?"

"Not for years to come, and only if everyone agrees something like that is allowable. And not for weeks at a time… There are many reasons I am perhaps not the sanest person alive. Let's not get into the list of reasons." I ramble. "Um… okay what I want you to do is sit. We won't be getting into practicing Force things for a while. For now I want to only go over theory and a little bit about what the Force is. So let's get comfortable."

Squirt looks over at the bench I had thrown at HK. It is crumbled up and broken. "Yeah…"

I can only facepalm. I am really off to a great start. We eventually get comfortable.

"Okay… the first thing to understand is what the Force is. The Force is, at the most base level, Creation. The universe, but more specifically: matter. The universe is made up of three elements. Space, time, and matter. Space gives room for matter to exist in. Time determines when matter and space was created by the Maker. Matter is what is created within time and space. Matter is usually considered to be gas, liquid, and solid, but there is another separate form: energy. Energy and matter have been found to co-exist and even spin around each other. Energy can take shape into new energy, allows matter to move, and even become matter. Matter also becomes energy, is the tool in which energy moves, and can change its properties. The Force is, more specifically, energy… an energy field around everything and within everything. It dictates shape, forms of matter, how things interact, the laws of physics and so on.

"At first the Force was merely nothing but energy. But over time as more people died, their consciousness left and the energy within them went into the universe. The energy was affected by their personality and touched by their souls as it departed for wherever Koj believes they go to the Maker's domain and the Heaven-slash-Hell gig, and this created ripples in the universe. One person dying is a very small ripple, little more than a grain of sand thrown into an ocean. But when you have enough ripples, and when those ripples collide, something took shape. Something took on the combined personality of the energy affected by life, and became the combination of it. So while the Force is, at a basic level, energy. It is also the combined consciousness and energy of every living person to have died."

Squirt asks, "Like Buddhism?"

"Uh… I guess. Don't know what that is." I answer. "Regardless, that is what the Force is. It is living energy, a living universe. Force-wielders are people who can directly commune with it, and through it can manipulate the universe around us in the same way energy can affect matter. Our ways are different. As you know there are Jedi and Sith, but there are hundreds more small groups in the galaxy. Koj practices his own form he invented himself through listening to the Force and recognizing when it is pleased and displeased. My way may not be the best for you, but it will at least be a good starting point. Where you go in your relationship with the Force is up to you."

"But there are a limited number of theorized 'schools' of Force usage." I continue.

Like the smart guy I am, I actually prepared. Somewhat. I pull out an app on my datapad that lets me draw. I draw a number of circles extending out from the center circle. The center one I write as 'Force', and the others I write to be 'Control', 'Sense', 'Alter', 'Void'.

"There is nothing there at Light or Dark?" Squirt wonders.

"That's right." I answer. "Light and Dark is based on intent and how we fuel the power. The abilities themselves are not dictated by them… completely. There are some that are unimaginable to do for good, such as using dead bodies as puppets on a string. If you talk with Skywalker's family they will tell you that the Light has no power truly within it, as it doesn't allow your body to manipulate the Force within you to do anything… and whether that's true or not. It may just mean we all have some Light and Dark in us. We use the Light to fuel ourselves and the Dark to use it. While other philosophies will say the Light is about good intent, self control, and selfless actions while Dark is about negative thoughts and high emotions, desire to murder, and ambition for power without any self-control. But in the end Light is selfless while Dark is selfish. There is also the 'grey' alignment… but Grey fails because… just as much as Light and Dark have their flaws, you can't truly claim to be anything but selfless or selfish without being… apathetic.

"So in the end, the Force is split into these four 'schools'. They can be further split with subcateogories such as inner-control and outer-control, alchemy or transmutation, and influence. There is also a basic school called 'blast'… where you basically blast Force energy or an element at someone without really forming it into anything special. Its like taking a piece of art and hitting someone in the face with it rather than drawing."

Squirt chuckles. I smile. She asks, "So… what do you think I would be good at?"

I shrug. "Hard to say. Everyone has their strong points. Some even go so far as to become an embodiment of something. I have bonded with lightning control, sense, and alteration so much that I could very well become the Lord of Lightning one day. It fits me to a 't'. Skywalker with his big-ego mostly focuses on self-control in making himself fast, strong, have high stamina, and a lot of other things that basically means he puts the Force into his body to surpass his physical limits."

She snorts in agreement.

"Where does heat and fire fit in? I've always been able to regulate my body temperature so I'm never cold, and my muscles kind of… glow."

"I've noticed…" I mutter. "I don't know, Squirt. It most likely means something about the Force is already your 'element' so to speak, just as I am naturally drawn to lightning you may be naturally drawn to something. But fire is not an element. Fire is an after-affect as energy is transformed. The transformation creates heat and when oxygen is applied to heat with a fuel source you get fire… but what is the fuel source? What are you doing that generates the heat?"

I hum in thought. "May mean you have a natural innate talent for alchemy or transmutation. But we will have to see. For now, if you are ready, we will begin on simple control exercises."

"Great!" She bursts out excitedly. The lecturing clearly made her bored. I can't help but chuckle darkly. "What?"

"If you think that lecture was boring… wait till you see what I want you to do." I smirk.

"What?..."

"I want you to sit, close your eyes, and breath."

"…"

"Yeah, that's about it." I smile. "This exercise will continue for our sessions until you can sense the Force so easily you won't even have to think about it. The exciting stuff will have to wait until you can at least do that much."

Her pained groan is tasty.

Anakin Skywalker put away the laser probe in his hand and lifted up the panel he was working on to inspect it. As always it was immaculate. His steady hands and Force guided senses allowed him to work with the skills of the finest surgeon.

"Can't you do something about that smell?"

"It's an electric panel. The metal smells when heated." The Jedi Master replied.

"Great, then stop heating it."

"You can deal."

Nihilus grumbled and turned back to the window. "Then hand me your probe."

"Why? It is several hundred degrees hot."

"Exactly. I want to stuff it up my nostrils and remove my sense of smell."

"I'm not going to give you my tools just so you can mutilate your body with it. Loath as I am to have accepted the sacrifice of a life to let you use a form, I am not going to go and let you disrespect the body. Besides, you would get blood all over it."

"So the real reason reveals itself!" Nihilus stopped suddenly. "Wait, something big is coming. It can't be a Sith or Jedi… the presence is too large. Can't be the Sith Emperor, I would recognize him."

"I sense it too." Anakin replied. He recognized the feeling in the Force, and it made him smile. He stood and slipped on his robes. "Come, we have visitors."

"Excuse me, are you ordering me around?"

"Yes." Anakin replied nonchalantly. He put the panel he had been working on atop the shelf by his bed. "Trust me, these are people you will find interesting anyway."

Nihilus cocked his head to the side. "Very well. Should alleviate my boredom at the very least."

"I'm sure it will."

Anakin strode out and Nihilus followed, after knocking his tools onto the floor with a flip of his hand. The presence Nihilus sensed did not move to the hanger to dock, but materialized in the ship itself. As if it was not constrained by the need for transport.

Anakin caught sight of them and greeted them warmly. Nihilus examined them and was confused. Physically they were man and woman. The man was bald, dark skin clashing with pale skin, and wore tight robes of dark majesty. He wore plated armor on his forearms, chest, neck, and legs. His form was gangly, almost spiderlike with long fingers and long arms and sharp teeth and sharp eyes. The woman had long flowing hair as wild and knotted as nature (and fittingly green), and wore nothing more than a loose robe that picked up the slightest tug of wind.

Even more so, Nihilus felt them in the Force. The man was full of power and fiery emotion, hate and anger kept in check by a silent love for a few. The other was absent of presence and emotion, only whereas Nihilus found the void as the answer to an absence of self she seemed to have found selfless compassion and open love to be the answer.

One was of nature and selflessness while the other was of civilization and imposing will on the universe.

Just as Nihilus examined them in body and soul, they did the same. The man's sharp gaze, and the woman's recognition penetrated Nihilus and for the first time in a very very long time he felt… fear. These were no mere Force users. These were beings who understood… understood what Nihilus was in ways no other probably could beside Varus. And if there was one thing a scientist understood: Knowledge is power.

They might even be able to kill him at his fullest.

"So this is the Void-Smith I have heard of." The man mused outloud. He took a threatening step toward Nihilus, but the woman put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't be so rude, Son! Is that any way to greet family?" She looked to Skywalker and bowed. "It is good to see you, brother!"

"You too, Daughter." Anakin hugged her.

"What?" Nihilus looked between them in confusion. "He's her son and she's your daughter?"

Son chuckled darkly. Anakin smiled and said, "No, no. They're name is Son and Daughter."

"Who in their right mind names someone that? I at least gave Varus an imaginative Sith name."

"Someone known as The One, or Father."

Nihilus stared at him, dumbstruck. After a long moment he sighed, "Well that explains everything. Why not just name your pet 'Dog' while you're at it."

"We just might. Why don't we name you 'Prey'?" Son smiled widely revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.

"Son…" Anakin whispered heavily.

"Then would you like me to call you 'Lunch'?" Nihilus countered. He looped his arms countered. He looped his arms together. Son smiled all the wider as Nihilus became defensive.

Daughter sighs and hits Son over the top of the head. Despite looking fragile, her punch makes Son wince and rub his head. "I swear. Father says not to cause trouble and what's the first thing you do? You antagonize the strongest thing you can find." Son gives her a dark look.

"Not that I am not glad to see you two, but why are you here?" Anakin wondered. "I greatly doubt you two showed up just because you missed me."

"As if…" Son whispered, turned, and walked away. Now it was Sister who gave him a dark look. She sighed and smiled apologetically.

"Don't let him fool you. Son missed you in his own way. You are right, we are here on family business. Father wanted us to pass on a message."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Well… Father actually says the message is from the Force itself. The Force says: Do not fight Valkorian."

"That would be counterproductive." Nihilus commented.

Anakin shoved his thumb at the Void-Smith. "For once I have to agree with the butcher over here. You may or may not have noticed, but Valkorian is kinda hell-bent on destroying the galaxy… and not just the people in it, but the very existence of life as a whole. He wants to kill the Force. Why would the Force want me not to fight the very person trying to kill it, and why would we go out of our way to meet Darth Plageus, to learn of Valkorian's threat, and why would the Force bring Koj to Valkorian temporarily so we can reveal Valkorian, just for us to NOT fight Valkorian? That… that makes absolutely NO sense."

"I'm sorry, but that is all I know about the message…" Daughter replied.

"And Father knew you would ignore it. Which is why he sent us." Son returned. "So we could join you, and protect you."

"I can protect myself…" Anakin grumbled childishly.

"You can't fight a blade of grass, much less steel or plasma!"

"We know you can, but you haven't finished your training. Besides…" Daughter smiled. "It's what family does, right? We aren't here to fight the Sith. We just want to make sure our brother makes it out alive. If the leader of this grand army has a problem with that… well…"

Son finished for her, "He can kiss our collective asses."

"Not how I would have put it, but brother and I are in agreement." Daughter said.

"Well… I'm happy you guys are here then. Just… don't touch anything." Anakin winced nervously. "Who knows what you two could in a war."

"How about win?" Son proposed.

"We are here to kill Valkorian and bring the Sith Empire to surrender… and to accept responsibility for all the wars they have started and are preparing to start so that we can finally seek some form of peace. We are not here to commit genocide."

"Just a little?" Son put his fingers together closely.

"No."

Nihilis watched the exchange closely. Before he had been… skeptical. The Mandalorian war machine was vast, advanced, and professionally trained, and Nihilus's power was second only to Valkorian. He knew of Revan's plan he inputed into HK for the droid to merge with the Star Forge at some point… and in HK's hands it would be a power that could bring the galaxy to its knees. Anakin Skywalker was a powerful Jedi Master with some innate immunity to Void power, and his apprentice was a reasonable fighter as well. Varus could rival any of Valkorian's champions. Yet even with all of these powers aimed at Valkorian Nihilus knew just how monsterous and inhuman the man was… and was skeptical they could win.

But with these two demi-god beings with them… They might actually have a chance.

Nihilus knew Valkorian. He trained under the man. He had surpassed being mortal ages ago… and had most likely become bored with immortality as well and was well on his way to surpassing demi-god status as well. Hopefully three demi-gods and a prophesized one would be enough.

Either way Nihilus would become… complete.

Nihilus looked up as a sound blared in the halls. He knew that sound. Skywalker did as well. The man tensed and the pleasant conversation ended. Nihilus turned and walked down the hall.

"What is that?" Son wondered.

"It's an alarm." Anakin explained. He too turned and left to follow Darth Nihilus. "You are here just in time because that is the alarm for everyone to get to stations… We are beginning the invasion."

"Where shall we go then that we may be near?" Sister asked.

"Uh…" At a loss, Anakin looked out the window. He couldn't very well sneak two demi-gods into a Mandalorian lead battleship. He could however have them hide out elsewhere. The vessel had just finished being loaded with weapons, gear, mutintions, supplies, and an army… but its captain was a friend. He pointed. "Why don't you guys hang out on the Ravager?"

Varus was just minding his own business, eating from a bowl, and thinking on what he would be teaching Cahj when, to his surprise, two familiar beings appear out of thin air in front of him. The appearance follows a small shockwave that sends small objects flying and a few crates collapsing. Surrounding soldiers drop what they are doing and jump to alert, and Varus can only stare. He looks at Sister. Sister apologizes apologetically. He looks at Son. Son is busy trying to pry his foot from a box he landed in. Varus sighs.

"Well, shit."


	13. Interlude - Birth of the Void-Smith

As with the beginning of all things there is life. As with the end of all things there is death.

For Nitheal, his beginning was both.

His mother died giving birth to him, and the doctors had to hurry to save him. They succeeded, and Nitheal was kept at the hospital until his body was strong enough. He was placed into the care of the man who, while many thought was his father, was in fact… a criminal.

To say the man was his father was accurate. Yet to assume he was the woman's husband or lover was a great assumption. The man was vile. A drunkard bully down on life through his own creation. Nitheal was mostly taken care of by neighbors in the man's absence until the young boy was old enough to make his way to the hospital where he was born. The hospital became his home away from home. After all, his father was never around and he was a psychopath that beat him when he was. He got to know the nurses and doctors that helped him so early on, and instantly there was a fascination in the field of medicine. He was comfortable around wounded people, illness, and even bodies. He sought to help, and his young presence brought a smile on the patient's faces.

His latent Force power allowed him to feel their pain and their joy… And to feel their final moments.

That moment of such intensity when their life passes through them, and they feel such pain and joy both, as their life flashed behind their eyelids, only to shift into something new. Something his curious mind sought to reach into and touch. Something empty.

When he was old enough to ask about his birth, and to learn of his mother, he sought answers. The hospital turned him away with the best intentions, and he sought his answer from the unwise option. The answer to his question was a fist in his hair, blood dripping down his face, and a breathe that reeked of alcohol breathing out that he was a product of rape.

At this point he was old enough that the man could beat him and scar him without feeling guilty. Nitheal went to the hospital for help, and they told him to go to school. Nitheal went to the school and they thought him a freak. So Nitheal went into the wilds and there came across a wild dog. The dog did not consider him a freak, nor beat him, nor turn him away. It warmed up to him, and so Nitheal spent his time reading in the wilds. He felt the wild abandon and childish nature that never grew up within the animal, and the simple instincts of animals soothed him, as well as nature in the trees, the wind, and the earth. It soothed him, because he felt such a deep bond with it. In turn, it felt a bond with him, and animals he never would have thought would come near, welcomed him and protected him. It felt his pain, but did not know what to do to nurture it. When he returned home, he was always going to bed with new wounds, new scars, only to cry into the darkness. The Force reached out through him, and he found a dark mist escape him.

It was there within the wilds that the Jedi Master found him. She saw his deep bond with nature and sat beside him. She saw potential in him, and just like all other things before, she felt a bond with him. His bonds reached out to her and demanded she help him, and like the animals, she was drawn to him, to save him. He did not know he did it, only that he was always crying out to the Force, and the world answered. In his childlike way he was needy, and all tjings were drawn to him in turn.

"Young man, there is something special about you. Do you think so?"

"I am called a freak. Not special."

"No, I think there is something very special about you. You see, there are people with gifts. Great gifts, and one such sign is a deep bond with nature. Nature is life, and people like us act as a conduit for that life. I can teach you, if you want. There are people like us out there. You are not alone."

"I would like that."

It was there within the darkness that he cried out, for he knew his father would hold him back, and IT answered. Nitheal was shocked, and sought out the voice. He could not find it until he looked in the mirror. There, like the Jedi Master, a figure appeared before him. This one was shrouded in shadow, and was a child like him.

'Who are you?' Nitheal asked.

'You.' It answered. 'You have called for me. It was you that made me. You gave life to death.'

'I'm afraid.' Nitheal admitted.

'Yes,' It answered, 'That is why you made me.'

'I hurt.' Nitheal said.

'Yes. The man has hurt you.'

'I don't want to hurt.' Nitheal cried.

'Then don't.' It answered. 'Don't feel pain. Its best to just… do away with it all.'

The next day, the Jedi Master met with him, only to marvel. The sadness he had was gone. The pain, the grief, and the joy and love. He was calm. Completely calm, he was in complete harmony. Yet… the wild life around them fled from the young man. The dog put its tail beneath its legs and fled. Nature became quiet, almost afraid to so much as whisper. She found it unusual, and was wary. Yet in him she saw no hatred, no guilt, no darkness. He was simply… calm. The very pinnacle of what a Jedi sought to be.

"Does your father disapprove of you being a student of mine, young man?"

"No." Nitheal answered. "He's moved on."

Dead men can't do much, after all.

Years later, the man would stand on the plains of a world he intended to consume. He had no intention of dying, and so he sought to preserve himself. As he moved over the surface, he came across a young boy in the wilds. Curious, he watched him. The boy played in the wilds, chased animals, climbed trees, and slept at the creek. As he watched, he remembered the words of his Jedi Master.

There are people with gifts. Great gifts, and one such sign is a deep bond with nature.

The man looked at the boy, and saw he had potential. Great potential. But more than that, the boy stirred something in him. Something he had gone on without for years. Something he could barely remember. As the hours passed, he finally remembered his own childhood in the wilds when he played with the animals. He remembered the time when his bond with nature was a source of joy rather than feeding.

The boy opened his eyes sleepily, and stirred awake when he saw there was an adult standing over him. The boy cocked his head to the side as if he was looking at the oddest thing on earth. "Huh? Who're you?"

The man did not reply at first, rather continuing to study the boy. The boy sighed, "Not much of a talker are ya?"


	14. Episode 4 - Beachhead Part 1

**Episode 4 – Beachhead Part 1**

* * *

To describe the war launched by Mandalore in detail would exist beyond the complexity possible for my understanding of war and strategy. However, it should be noted a few basic details.

The Mandalorians immediately took control of space stations and outposts along the border of the Sith Empire and the momentum did not look like it would end anytime soon. The Empire offered little to no resistance.

In fact, the Empire offered so little resistance Mandalore purposely ordered all admirals to slow their progress. They looked for ambushes or evidence the Sith were responding by a counter invasion, but there was found no evidence of it. This perplexed everyone involved.

Son and Daughter stayed hidden while Varus and his Ravager was ordered to infiltrate and attack from behind enemy lines. So for the next few months the Ravager would go silent and only be seen on occasion deep in Sith territory. Cahjinawl was admitted to the Ravager and continued her training with Varus.

Koj, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Nihilus were kept on the front lines supervising the progress of the war at different places, along with other Jedi and generals. Nihilus' insight proved valuable, Anakin kept him cooperative and proved a million times more charismatic than the silent, nihilistic, depressing void-Sith, Ahsoka returned to her long forgotten role as a commander, and Koj proved to be a capable leader and skilled tactician of guerrilla warfare.

HK-47 disappeared and was later found being a one-droid army space station as it destroyed every bit of resistance it could find. HK seemingly took no strategic path, but hunted any and all prey it could find. Where the Sith placed ships in that quadrant, HK Forge was inevitably there. HK took nor accepted any orders. It operated freely of its will with the singular goal to make war against any form of resistance.

But in all of this it was oddly quiet. The resistance were local forces. Few, if any, true Sith. No true commanders or generals or Sith Lords. It was eerily quiet so far as wars went and the spies who infiltrated the Sith network found nothing to reveal this perplexing question. No one had fled. No one was fighting back. It was as if the "Sith" of the Sith Empire had disappeared.

And so for the first several months of war, the Mandalorian momentum kept steady.

The first major event came in the form of the Battle of Praxidike, and it would shape the direction of the war.

Ahsoka sat in a chair outside of the conference room. A number of generals and admirals had already entered, but she was waiting to be allowed in. She greeted Kenobi warmly and shook the hand of every Jedi who had come, and took a moment to catch up with the clone commanders. However she still had to wait. She was not given as high a rank in the Mandalorian navy, as an ally, as she did in the Republic navy.

But whatever was going on was big. She had not seen this many officers since the start of the war.

She smiled as she felt the presence of Skywalker approach. She jumped up and gave a hug to her former master. "Fly-guy! It is good to see you!"

"Same to you, Snips. You look like your staying out of trouble." He patted her head, mockingly. She nudged his hand away.

"And you." She looked to Nihilus hiding in his armor. "Enjoying being on a leash?"

Nihilus merely nodded. "A chain to keep me away from others is a prison. A chain to keep others from me is peaceful."

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Dont get him started. He'll spout poetic and philosophy and science for hours... literally without breathing."

Nihilus glanced at him. Even with the helmet Ashoka knew he was disgruntled.

"Sooooo." Ahsoka hummed. She looked around him excitedly. "Where's he?"

Her excitement quickly dimmed at equal pace to Anakin's frown and guilt.

"You never found him?"

"Sorry, Snips. Varus never made it to the rendevous. He is still MIA."

Ahsoka sighed sadly. She struggled to not assume the worst, but it was difficult. They had halted the Force Bond to keep Sith from sensing him. She could only tell at brief moments of deep meditation that he was alive at all. It was a faint whisper on the wind.

Nihilus looked on her sadness and huffed in annoyance. "Well, I, for one, have faith. My apprentice spent his years under me behind enemy lines. He is far more likely to forget a rendevous entirely, than to fail in arriving."

"Awww, that's sweet! You're actually being nice and encouraging!" Anakin teased.

"No, I-" Nihilus looked between their smiling faces. "You are screwing with me, arent you?"

"Yea."

"I am going to kill you one day..."

"Hate you, too, buddy."

They talked a bit more before Skywalker and Nihilus entered the conference room.

More commanders arrived then, who were told to wait as Ashoka did. A short while later, they were allowed entry. Ahsoka politely allowed most of the others to enter first before walking in. She saw Anakin and Koj and made her way to them to sit by them. She briefly saw Nihilus keeping to the far edge.

Anakin and Koj looked deeply concerned. "Something bad?" She asked.

"No. Good. Very good." Anakin replied.

"Too good." Koj added. Anakin nodded in agreement.

"The Sith Emporer disappeared at the start of the war." Anakin explained. "With their government centered around him, they were left with no leadership or organization."

"Explains why there has been no resistance yet." Ahsoka mused.

"The Sith have fallen back to a council, and the Infinite Empire have elected their own stand-in. They are marshalling their defenses, but a week ago a rebellion sparked under Revan, and he had reached out to us yesterday."

Ahsoka gasped. "Revan?" He was still alive?!

"And he has information." Anakin continued.

Ahsoka sat down and furrowed her brows in thought. Revan was reaching out to them. That was certainly good news. Revan was a legend. He would undoubtedly be an older man now. "It is good he managed to stay hidden all this time. He should be a wealth of knowledge." Ahsoka concluded.

"Hmm." Anakin hummed.

"You think otherwise?" Ahsoka wondered.

"Something doesn't feel right. This whole war has felt odd. First the Sith don't put up a fight, now Revan has come out of hiding to reach out to us. The timing cannot be a coincidence."

"Revan is leading a rebellion right?" Ahsoka mused outloud.

Koj nodded. "I agree with you both. This war feels odd. Revan's rebellion could be a reason for that. Yet I would also add caution: The Emperor is not so ambivalent to not be aware of everything. The Sith have a plan. They have been preparing for this war much longer than the Mandalorians have. I think Mandalore recognizes this, hence his slowed pace these days in the campaign."

Mandalore stood and all whispering ceased. "Attention everyone: He is ready and the line is secure. Please keep your peace and speak only if you must."

After a moment he ordered someone to open the line, and the image of Revan appeared on a terminal in the middle of the room. Ahsoka recognized him. His mask was known to everyone of the present age, for that mask had been the face of many wars for generations.

"Greetings to you all," Revan said. "Brave soldiers of the Republic, Systems Alliance, Rebel Alliance, Revanchist, and the Mandalorian Clans. I am Revan, founder and lord of the Revanchist, and I have information that is key to you winning this war."

Revan said, "The Sith Emperor is powerful, immortal, and brilliant, but he is also this way because he is a parasite. His longevity and power has a source... a physical location you can strike. You see..." the image of Revan shrunk to make room for a planet on the same hologram. The planet was volcanic. "He has a factory here that produces immortality through the most vile dark side technique imaginable refined through cold indifference to be automated. It is his greatest secret. And his greatest weakness."

Revan continued, "This planet is also key to his war effort for other reasons. Cloning of Force users and other research..."

Ahsoka felt her heart skip a beat. Was he implying this was where Varus was cloned? The thought only put fire in her heart. The factory had to go.

"As well as a space-time gateway mimicing Infine Empire technology leading directly to the Sith Empire's capital." Revan finished.

The news left the room in stunned silence. The moment did not pass long before there was a flood of whispering and questions being asked one after another.

Anakin personally struggled to breath. This was the key to the whole war. Take away the Emperors immortality and he will be forced to expose himself, to take risks. Also the cloning of Force users was a major problem therorised going into the war, and if they could remove it with a single blow... not to mention a direct line straight to the capital.

It was as if all of the cards to winning the war were being given to him on a silver platter.

"It cannot be this easy." Koj said. "The Emperor is too cunning to make such a mistake."

"Then you will understand why he is there guarding it," Revan replied.

"What?!" Mandalore snapped his head to the hologram. Amakin raised an eyebrow. Didnt Revan tell him everything before revealing it to them? Why was this the first Mandalore had heard of it?

"The Sith Emperor has stationed himself, and his most elite army of Sith Lords, there to guard the planet. To him, this planet is more valuable than all the Empire."

Anakin felt his blood run cold. The Emperor was there? As well as his personal army? He would meet the Emperor already?

Revan turned his attention to Anakin. "If you will engage him, if you will seek a swift decisive end to this war, then I am prepared to back you up. Me, and all the rebels I have under my command."

Mandalore looked from one face to another. He saw their determination. They were soldiers who finally had a clear enemy to fight. Mandalore knew that even were he to go against an invasion of this planet, they would go without his permission.

"All who are willing to strike... who are prepared to face this ancient evil head on, raise your hand."

Ahsoka and Anakin raised their hands. Everyone else did too. Only three in the room did not, among them Koj.

"Then it is decided." Mandalore declared. "Gather your forces. A rendevous point will be decided and a central command will be decided for this campaign. You have two hours to depart. Dismissed."

Everyone stood and left the room. Mandalore stopped Anakin and Nihilis.

"I want you two leading the frontal assault." Mandalore said. "Mostly him."

Nihilis turned his head crooked. "You trust me that much?"

"No. But your tactics from the Mandalorian Wars rival that of Revans. And this battle will be where we lay all of the cards on the table. Minimize loss, but we need results now more than ever."

"I agree on one condition."

Mandalore clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Let me guess. Your apprentice?" Nihilis nodded. "Then I will go through the channels we have left to contact him. But I make no promises. The Ravager missed the last several windows of contact, and is considered MIA."

"Have no fear, Mandalore. My apprentice thrives there." Nihilis said flatly. "If you send the message he will be there. And I will get you the results you want... with minimal losses, as you demand."

"Good. Dismissed."

Amakin and Nihilis left. Nihilis looked to Anakin. "I am surprised you had nothing to say there. Aren't you against the idea?"

Anakin replied, "Yes, but this is why you are here to begin with. Do not forget the truce is the only thing keeping me from sending you where you belong. No point in not allowing the truce to accomplish its intended purpose."

* * *

The various branches of the invasion, its admirals and ship captains, coordinated on the time to arrive at Praxidike. Nihilis sent a message to HK and the droid confirmed it would arrive promptly to participate in the "slaughter". There was no word from the Ravager.

The faster and closer ships were ordered to enter Warp at a specified yime, to compensate for slower ships further away. Mandalore wanted everyone to arrive at approximately the same time in waves. The first wave would include scouts, a few major dreadnaughts, and the vessel he was on from where he could survey the area.

They exited warp. Other ships arrived all around them. A quick chechup confirmed everyone had arrived.

"Send out the scouts. Plant mines and satellites. And scan the system. I need to know what we are in for." He ordered. His commanders and advisors stood around him and set to work coordinating efforts with the fleet. He looked to Anakin.

"Sense anything from the planet?"

Anakin scrunched his brow as he focused. "Oddly. No. I dont sense anything nearby."

Nihilis said, "That is because you are drowning in him. Expand your senses. Can you even sense me?"

"I... no." Anakin's eyes widened. "I don't sense you. I don't sense anyone!"

Nihilis looked to Mandalore. "The Emperor is here. Do not expect your Jedi to be of any use for a while. His presence is so vast and overpowering, they are blinded by it." He said to Anakin. "Your senses will adjust."

Anakin felt his knees quake fearfully, but forced it all away. He had never felt so blinded in the Force before. It was like looking directly into the sun after being in the dark. And they had only just entered the system! They were not near the planet yet! Just how powerful was this man?

"Are you scared?" Nihilis asked.

"Yes, but I will overcome this."

"Good. Can't have you getting in my way."

"Sir!" An officer exclaimed. "Live feed coming in!"

"On screen." Mandalore prompted.

A series of planets around a sun appeared via hologram. The sun was a dying star and all of the planets were considered lifeless for one reason or another. Amidst the planets was a fleet of ships. The counter said there was one hundred major vessels and three hundred smaller ones.

"We seem to have found the nest boys." Mandalore declare loudly. "Prepare for battle. Positions have been assigned, go to them. Sync up live feeds."

"That would be your queue." Anakin whispered to Darth Nihilus.

"Yes…" Nihilus gazed at the live feed, searching for something, but unfortunately the Ravager was not in range. HK was arriving far to the eastern flank. Varus was absent and was silent.

Nihilus and Anakin left the ship via transport to another ship from where Nihilus would be taking command. Per his request, an HK-47 droid was present. Anakin was displeased by it, as the droid's actions of late was highly questionable, but kept his tongue. The droid was helping in the war and was a power to be reckoned with.

"HK." Nihilus said. "Have you received the plans?"

"Affirmative."

"How long before you can have it completed?"

"Three days."

Nihilus paused, unsatisfied by this news. "Why so long? You are a ship factory now."

"The Forge was not designed for a ship of the make and model you requested. I have compensated, but the best I can give you is three days."

"What are you two talking about?" Anakin pressed. He glared at Nihilus. Silently he conveyed that Nihilis should not be keeping secrets from him.

Nihilus replied, "Ship designs I requested of HK. Mandalore wants me to prove myself, and so I shall. Few casualties? Maximum results? It is true, Revan was of the few who could rival me in military tactics, but my options are no longer so restrained as before. I consider Mandalore's request to be an amusing challenge to test myself upon. If HK says it will take three days to finish the ships I requested, then three days it is. I will destroy the entire Sith fleet in this system on the fourth day, give us free access to the planet, control of the system… and you will not lose a single ship that day."

"That's a big bluff you are making. Do you truly expect anyone to think you can deliver?"

"Not at all. But I find it is a worthy goal befitting my talents. Allow me the nostalgia of using tactics in war once more. It has been many years since I have tested myself." Nihilus popped his neck. "Now then. What are the numerical odds?"

"Approximately five to one. Shortly when the rest of the fleet arrives it should be three to one." Anakin replied. "If Revan's fleet arrives, then two to one. Against a fleet that is possibly more advanced and has more Force users than we have ever seen in one place."

"Ah, yes…" Nihilus tapped the railing from where he stood. "Reach out with your senses. Are you able to sense them now?"

Anakin focused. "Yes. It is difficult to feel through the thick Dark Side, but there are many of the Sith there ahead of us." He narrowed his eyes. "Among them are… many elites. Some of the elites are one in six bodies? What is this?"

"The Dread Lords. Six in total." Nihilus answered. "Those are the sixt you will have to fear the most. The Dread Lords are a group of Sith Lords who have united in soul and mind. They share a single consciousness, and their power is multiplied six fold."

"That's sick."

"Correction: That's efficient. A unified squad is more efficient than unfocused anarchy." HK countered. "Is there a weakness?"

"Naturally killing one off will devastate them all." Nihilus answered.

"Has it ever happened?"

"Not to my knowledge. And I doubt it. The six I sense are the same as the last time I met them."

"Then we only have to focus our attention on one of them."

"A viable option, but the point I originally wanted to make is that they are so powerful because they all six specialize in force auras. Namely that of fear, madness, insantity, and hallucionation. The moment we enter range our pilots and crew will enter a living nightmare and mass hallucination. They have the power to mind control anyone who fails to resist."

"That is bad." Anakin frowned. He pointed to an officer. "Relay all of this to Mandalore… Is there a way to counter this?"

Nihilus nodded. He had already explained this to Mandalore, but to remind him was no bad thing. "It is a force aura like any other. Powerful, intense, wide, and of the Dark Side."

"Then spreading out our own Force users to push back will keep them at bay." Anakin finished the thought.

"I hate to say this, but we do not have enough… I will have to do it."

"What?"

"I will have to devote my focus to shielding the fleet from them when the battle starts." Nihilus explained.

"And what kind of affect will your Force aura have on them?! It would be worse! Your own presence will have just as much devestation on our fleet as theirs! No, I will do it with Ahsoka and all the Jedi."

"That won't work. Skywalker, if we are to have any hope of winning, we need me on the fourth day. And I can't both keep the Dread Lords at bay and win this battle at the same time. I need you to kill the Dread Lords within the first three days, or at least enough to break them. "

"But that still leaves the problem that your Void presence will bring as much damage to our own fleet through fear as they would." Anakin countered.

HK raised its hand. "If I may offer a solution. Rather than shield the fleet with your energies, in a defensive manner, why not go on the offensive?"

Nihilus tilted his head in thought. "What are you suggesting?"

"Attack the minds of the Dread Lords directly. Force the six of them on the defensive, if they are as you say. You will either overpower them or force them into a stalemate while an infiltration team kills them." HK said. It straightened its stance and seemed to puff out its chest. "I happily volunteer to do it."

"It… it may work." Anakin found himself agreeing with the droid. "You are powerful, but how do you compare to them?" ("No, I really do volunteer, gleefully, even.")

"We are equally matched. I am powerful. Coruscant was proof of that." Anakin grit his teeth at the reminder. "But the Dread Lords are among the Emperor's champions. I believe they are just as capable of destruction on a planetary scale as I am." ("Seriously, I am in. Just give me the word and I will bring you their heads.")

"That does not bode well." Anakin gulped. "But if it you believe you can, then do it from the safety of the deck. I can hide your presence enough that they will have difficulty finding you while you are vulnerable." ("Just say 'go'! I am your droid for the job!")

"I am hardly vulnerable. Need I remind you, I do not need a body?"

Anakin glared at Nihilus. He truly detested the former man. It was true Nihilus did not require a physical shell, but it did make things easier for him. And the fact that they went so far as to give him a body just to convenience him did not sit well with the Jedi. The last thing he wanted to do was defend it and admit he had to have been turning a blind eye to things lately.

Such as having the Sith Lord, Darth Nihilus, destroyer of Coruscant, the Void-Smith, leading an assault fleet of Mandalorian/Republic/Systems Alliance vessels.

Feeling a very human emotion of being left out, HK started to slink away in disappointment. He was not ignored, however. Nihilus said, "HK."

"Yes!" The droid brightened just as quickly.

"I wanted Varus here for this, but it seems I am down one assassin. How would you like to fill his shoes for a day?"

"I thought you would never ask! I only have one question."

"Yes?"

"How many pieces would you like the meatbag in?"

Nihilus chuckled. "I like this droid."

* * *

The Sith stayed in formation securing the planet as the invasion fleet entered the system and took up various formations from one direction. The Sith adapted, moving vessels and shifting their own formation, but they never left a single corner of the barricade unguarded. Nihilus ordered his own vessel to slowly move closer and to retreat the moment he felt one of the Dread Lords reach out to them.

"Measure the distance between us and that ship and add another thousand kilometers. I want no vessel to go any closer than this." He ordered. He said to Anakin and Mandalore via live feed. "This is the reach of the Dread Lords."

The invasion fleet ran through a series of formations and positions without ever getting closer. Each time the Dread Lords sent vessels to adapt, but the majority of the defense fleet never changed formation.

The officers and soldiers of the invasion fleet were tense and ready, while Nihilus was patient. He sensed Skywalker's impatience that nothing was happening.

"What are you doing?" Anakin questioned.

"Testing them." Nihilus answered.

Once more he ordered a formation change. Everone complied and the fleet moved back and forth. The entire invasion fleet moved to one group and the Dread Lord moved the majority of their fleet to that side of the planet.

"This isnt chess. This is real life."

"Yes and no. This is merely extremely advanced chess."

"And we dont have days to get the ball rolling. Your eternal patience will have to wait. Rush it."

Nihilus eyed him in annoyance. He sighed. "As you wish. There is one last test I wish for. HK. Send one of your weaker droids at them. Monitor it to see if it is affected by the Dread Lords."

HK did as ordered. A fighter from the Forge flew at the fleet before being blown up. HK said, "Confirmation: the meatbags reached for me, and touched my energies, but their mind tricks had no affect."

Nihilus nodded. "Good. Good." He bent over the holographic table and started moving pieces around on the board. After a time he stood and broadcasted the plan to the fleet.

Anakin looked over the plan in surprise. "This is it?"

"Yes."

"All this does is keep us in a stalemate!"

"Yes, it does. Now everyone follow it and begin!"

The fleet took up a wide formation one row deep and inched its way towards the Sith Fleet. The invaders stopped just outside the Dread Lords range. The Dread Lords sent ships out, but the invaders pulled back. Then they returned, the Dread Lords reached out, and again the fleet pulled back.

"Wait for it..." Nihilus reminded them.

Once more they did it and this time the Sith Lords sent out ships without any Dread Lords on it. The invaders moved from a wide and thin formation to a ball formation while keeping HK/Forge seperate. The Sith sent out many ships and the two sides engaged. The shots taken were long range only allowing both sides to change ships from the front lines when they took too much damage. As per Nihilus orders, all ships aimed at the Sith weaponry. When a Sith vessel lost its guns, and the cannons were ejected into space, they focused their attention on the next one. Only a few fighters and bombers were sent out, and as the others, they were tasked with focusing only on the weapon systems.

In the end Nihilus ordered all vessels to retreat once losses started to become inevitable. No major Siths ships were destroyed the first day, though many had theor weapons disabled, destroyed, or ejected. The battlefield became a graveyard of cannons and gun parts.

Following the first day's battle Nihilus and Anakin retired to the captains room and Mandalore called. Mandalore said, "I can understand your long term planning. Not wasting time on total annialation of the vessels means more are disabled... and a large crippled fleet with no guns can only do so much good. Very by the book. Intergalactic warfare 101. But we are running on limited time with limited ships. If we continue to fight as we are, we will start to wear down and take heavy losses. The Sith will take advantage of their numbers next time."

"I know. Today was only a test. You see, no matter how we moved, the Dread Lords did not change their formation. The six of them have the planet surrounded. They are not taking the bait, and are ensuring there is no place we can enter; but it also shows they are resolved in confidence and pride to be spread thin."

"And are you prepared for tomorrow? My advisors tell me the Sith will not be so lenient next time."

"I fully expect they will not. In fact, I'm hoping for it."

"How long until Revan comes?" Anakin asked.

"Tomorrow." Mandalore said. "My fleet is holding position, watching for Sith reinforcements. We will come the day you break through and establish a beachhead. Just what is your plan tomorrow?"

Nihilus looked between Anakin and Mandalore. He hesitated. He did not hesitate for thinking it to be the wrong plan. If anything it would assure victory. He did not hesitate for the morality of it. He simply knew they would hate it.

"I will have the heaviest ships lead the front and penetrate deeply into the Sith lines while the rest of the fleet provides cover fire. During the chaos HK will infiltrate and assassinate a Dread Lord. After the Dread Lord is dead, the penetration ships will eject everything: their guns, cargo bays, fighters, their escape pods, etc etc and use the clutter as a screen to flee."

"Are you insane?! How many ships do you have planned to infiltrate the enemy lines?"

"By my count... only twenty have the number of cannons and durability to suit my purposes."

"Mandalore you cannot seriously allow this!" Anakin turned to the hologram. "Im all for risks, but this?! We should not be throwing ships and lives away unnecessarily!"

"Mandalore." Nihilus said. "I propose these ships be manned by skeleton crews. Just enough to maximize the use of their cannons and escape. No landing party. No crew beyond the most immediate needs. There will be losses, but the losses will be minimal. What is important is that they do as much as they can, eject everything, and crawl away. The Sith will follow but only for a distance. They are more protective of the planet than they are willing to kill us."

Mandalore stayed silent.

"Sir..." Anakin pleaded.

"Skywalker." Mandalore replied. "Tell me this, Sith... what is the end game? First you want the Forge to produce two special dreadnaught class ships, then you order the fleet to exclusively shoot out the guns in a skirmish, now you want to put at risk the biggest ships we have to kill one of six Dread Lords..."

"Its a surprise."

Anakin slammed his palm on the table. "You are the most dramatic person I've ever met! And you dont even feel drama!"

"I cannot risk them catching wind of this. Do you have even the slightest idea how many mind-readers are in this system? You and I are the only ones the Dread Lords cannot read, and you are welcome for that, by the way. Even HK's mind is touched by them now that it has bonded with the Forge. It may not be influenced by hallucinations, but reading the mind is still well within their capabilities. They know we are going for them. We cannot hold back tomorrow."

"You!... have a point." Anakin sighed. "I hate the thought of relying on you in blind faith."

"Neither do I." Mandalore agreed. "But its what we have. Nihilus knows the mind of these Sith better than any of us. I agreed to trust him this once... I will face the consequences of that openly." He looked to Nihilus, "But be warned: we are keeping a close eye on you."

Nihilus turned to glance at Skywalker, who glared at him. "As if you have ever allowed me to forget."


	15. Episode 4 - Beachhead Part 2

**Note: Honestly I found myself in a bit of a dilemna in this chapter. I had everything for this chapter planned months and months ago, but it took ages to get to this point. I despise having to wait to actually do chapters before the chapter I wanna do. I mean, I WANNA JUMP AHEAD LIKE 20 CHAPTERS! Get to some juicy crap! Also the next chapter is juicy! And the ending is like a rollercoaster! And some stuff in between is juicy! Why can't I just skip the pointless-transition chapters and leave everyone confused as to what da heck is going on because screw it! No explanation needed! Just epicness!**

 **All that aside, the dilemna was choosing a song. It came down to either: 'Legend' by The Score, 'Hail to the King' by A7X, and 'Seven Nation Army' by The White Stripes. I love Hail to the King most, but it just didn't fit the vision. So between Seven Nation Army and Legend, I was stuck for a week. I spent a week just listening to these songs over and over, in various remixes, nightcores, and the originals stuck on which fit! Not just the moment but which song is more Varus! (You will understand.)**

 **I chose 'Legend' by The Score. I like the Nightcore version most.**

 **But I also do highly recommend Hail to the King and Seven Nation Army. It was close. So close.**

 **So to truly understand this chapter, pull up on youtube "Nightcore - Legend". You should see a picture of a kid with two guns and a knife in his mouth. ;)**

* * *

 **Episode 4 - Beachhead Part 2**

* * *

Son and Daughter flew as a giant bat and a gryphon, respectively, onto a ledge overlooking the Sith city. Before them was a skyscraper. The skyscraper acted as the personal fortress home of one of the Sith Lords.

Their target.

Son ruffled his wings to get the water off. It had been raining since the day they arrived, and wouldn't surprise him if it had been raining before then. Daughter preened her feathers a moment. The two walked into a bit of cover before transforming back into their human shapes.

Son leaned against the wall. "You know… despite how annoying the rain is, this place isn't half bad."

"It has purple lightning, the skyscrapers look like sharp teeth, everything is black, and the Dark Side energy saturates the planet like a mist." Sister commented.

"I know, it's great." Son grinned. "Reminds me of home."

"It would." She smiled. "I can't wait to get away, but then the ship isn't much better. Technology isn't my thing. I like plants."

"There are plenty around here."

"Fascinating as they are, it's like trying to relax in a bed of slugs."

"And that's bad because…?"

Daughter raised an eyebrow at him, while he just smirked. He teased and he knew his sister loved it. She was just in a… well… a less good mood with all the Dark Side there. Son felt it. The planet was not just tipped toward the Dark Side, it bathed in it. It was carefully crafted and nurtured like a dark plant to thrive on nothing else, until it was practically a node of the Force itself that acted as a Dark beacon to all the galaxy… yet oddly hidden.

Son might just take a vacation here the next time Father lets them out.

"This is Light's Bane, over." A man's voice entered their ears. They both wore transceivers. His voice was unnaturally filled with bravado. "Molten Fist, do you copy?"

"I copy, over!" A teenage girl's voice replied cheerfully.

Son rolled his eyes. Daughter just smiled.

"Are you in position, over?"

"I am in position, over."

"Good. Wet Blanket, do you copy, over?" Light's Bane asked.

Son said nothing. His eye twitched. Daughter grinned wider and watched him. Son shot her a glare as if to silently say 'I refuse.'

"Wet Blanket?... Weeeet Blaaanket. Wet Blanket! Over! Hey, dipshit!" There was a pause. Followed by the sound of a deep breath. He sang, "~THIS IS THE SONG THAT NEVER EN-" (Half way into the it, Molten Fist joined in the song.)

"I will murder you and everyone you love!" Son bellowed into the transmitter.

"Great, you're here! Sweet!" Light's Bane greeted as if he hadn't just been given a death threat from a Dark Side demigod. "Are you in position, Wet Blanket, over?"

"I refuse to play this game, Varus. Take this seriously." Son replied.

"And you wonder why he calls you 'Wet Blanket'." Daughter giggled. Son glared at her out of the corner of his eye as he brooded.

"Ah! Queen Elizabeth!" Light's Bane/Varus said, trying and failing to have a fake noble accent of some sort. It made him sound either like an Australian pirate or an Irish with a stuffy nose. Either way it makes no sense. "I am so pleased to hear from you. Are you in position?"

"Queen Elizabeth is in position." Daughter answered.

"Does Queen Elizabeth have sights on Wet Blanket, over?"

Son's glare intensified on her ten-fold. Somewhere something keeled over and died from a heart attack. Daughter met his death-glare with a smile and said, "Queen Elizabeth has sights on Wet Blanket. Over. Can confirm he is in position. Over."

"Why do you amuse them?" Son whispered.

"Because it's fun."

"It's retarded."

"Aaaaand that's why I call you, Wet Blanket." Varus said.

Son sighed. Being involved in these matters the last few months had truly tested the limits of his patience. It was a wonder he hadn't killed them yet. Daughter had to physically and spiritually restrain him. He knew if he messed this up, Father would never let him out again.

"J-just get on with it." Son pleaded.

Daughter's smile dimmed just slightly, and she said, "Light's Bane, I fear Wet Blanket is nearing his limit. Let us commence."

Varus' accent returned. "The Queen has spoken! Everyone, ready yourselves. We commence in five-"

"Thanks." Son sighed, stretched, and turned into a bat again. Daughter just nodded and transformed as well.

Light's Bane continued to count down. "Four. Three."

"Go!" Molten Fist yelled. You could hear blaster fire in your ear at the same time there was plasma rounds flying through a window in the skyscraper.

"Two- What the-" Varus blurted out. "Okay, go!"

Lightning struck the skyscraper and pierced it from top to bottom. The building shook and a crack broke down its side, windows blew. The air gave way around it like a wave as it pierced the sound barrier, and the sound of a whip smack them in the face. Son and Daughter rose into the air, as the nearby fighters on patrol had already taken notice something was going on. Son grabbed one with his hind feet and threw it into another fighter. Daughter chased another and tore at its engine.

The Sith had probably never seen a gryphon and giant bat outta hell before.

Varus sat crouched in front of Cahj from where he had landed. Lightning poured off of him, and in his right hand was a Sith's head he had shoved into the ground. With but a thought he poured his lightning into the man, the man spassed, and froze as his body stiffened. His brain, if one could cut it open to inspect, would be nice and crispy.

The Sith soldiers of the non-Force variety scrambled to their feet as best they could and struggled further to be able to come to any sort of sobriety. Between the shockwave, the sound, and the sight of their team leader dead in front of them, and lightning pouring off a black robed man before them in waves… it was a wonder they hadn't fallen into shock. Stun grenades are no joke. Lightning strikes tend to do that.

A team of clones, Mandalorians, Republicans, and Alliance soldiers appeared behind cover. They turned off their invisibility cloaks and opened up fire on the Sith. If their cover was blown, might as well go with the loud option.

"Damnit, Cahj, I said to stay hidden. Invisibility means you can't be seen so long as you don't do something stupid, like bump into them." Varus hissed.

"I was! The guy sensed me." Cahj defended herself.

Varus sensed she was right. The man he had slammed into the ground after literally shooting himself down through two hundred flights of stairs in an instant, had been a Force user. Probably shouldn't have tasked her to work with the infiltration squad. Sith Force users can sense her through the cloak.

"Fair 'nough. Stay behind me. Gonna have to improvise." Varus stood, unleashed two lightning blades from his hands and turned to face the incoming reinforcements.

"When do we not?"

* * *

"My lord." A Sith bent a knee and bowed. Scourge turned his head ever so slightly. He refused to truly look at the man behind him. It was too dangerous. He made sure there were no mirrors, and the glass was clear so he could not see his reflection. The rain struck the windows relentlessly and purple lightning rained down on constructed lightning rods scattered through the city.

"Our men are in position."

"Good." Scourge answered. He breathed out. Here they were, on the pinnacle of eons. This would decide the fate of the Sith. "Give them the order. May their bonds be broken."

"May their bonds be broken." The Sith repeated. The Sith left, leaving Scourge alone in his thoughts.

 **You amuse me, so much. I feel you squirm and writhe against the cage, but your resistance is for nothing.**

Scourge felt a compulsion come over his right hand. It rose without his bidding and clenched in front of him.

 **You are mine.**

The compulsion was released, and his hand was his once more. Scourge clenched the fist and angrily hit it into the iron tight glass cage.

Cage… truly that was what he was in. He was a loyal Sith. He obeyed the commands of the master to the letter. Any attempt he might make to resist was removed from his ability, so even as much as he tried to resist, it was impossible. But there were still… loopholes… he could exploit. Even his cage had rules, and he had spent many long years learning the rules.

The Sith Emperor knew. The Master knew of Scourge's small attempts to find ways of bending the rules of the spell to resist. Scourge knew it explicitly. The Master made sure he knew it always. He taunted him. Pushed him to try for his amusement. Perhaps that was all Scourge was to Him. An insect trying to find cracks in the walls that entrapped him.

Scourge knew it was for naught. He was a worm in the master's sight. He was living on borrowed time. He was like a man who had a snake wrapped around his heart, a snake that was patient so long as it was amused. He had no future. He had no hope. He resisted out of nothing but stubbornness now. The moment his resistance merited any fruit or became more than a source of comedy to Him, then he was as good as dead.

The Master made him. The Master could unmake him just as easily…

The building shook, and Scourge fell to his knees. The same instant Scourge felt an immense Dark Side energy nearby, and soon after an even stronger source of it appeared outside the building. Scourge looked at the source of this immense power, and his eyes widened as he saw it. A giant bat, unlike anything he had ever seen.

Scourge jumped to his feet and looked as well as he could. He could sense battle. He could sense death. But he saw no army. There was no invasion on the ground and there was no battlecruiser in low orbit.

So why did he sense so many life forms disappearing?

Scourge knew the answer. He had just hoped it wasn't this soon. Only one person could make a monster like that. Only one person would come after him, a Champion of the Eternal Emperor.

The lights went out, leaving Scourge in darkness. A moment later they flickered back on again.

A man in black robes was in the room. Lightning poured from his fists and wrapped themselves into blades. Scourge turned to look him in the eye. He called his lightsaber to him.

"You are Scourge, yes?"

"I am. And you are a Galen Marek clone. I must admit, I am surprised. I believed there were no more, but then He is a lord of secrets... Nice touch with the lights. Very ominous." Scourge complimented.

The assassin smiled wide, "Thanks. I try."

"But it has cost you the element of surprise."

"Yeah... Its kinda my thing." He shrugged. Galen cleared his throat and said, " _ **Nu declare zo Kaggath, zo contest iv mutual ardytifaus pitting powerbase priaet powerbase, kuris visaz sheds tave beze kraujas wins. Kia tave pergali eternal aureole, kia tave loser mirtis ir shame.**_ "

Scourge's eyes widened briefly. So this was how He wished it done. A Kaggath Sith challenge. His challenger even spoke fluent Sith, as per tradition. If Scourge lost, he would die in humiliation and all he owned would be handed to the challenger, or would if this was public. If Scourge won, then he would gain nothing, as this was no more than an empty clone, a pawn.

Scourge could refuse. The challenger had no standing to depend on, yet nor could he refuse, as the challenger was here on His behalf.

It was His way, to entrap, corner His foes in impossible situations, to encircle and manipulate all things to His dance. Scourge had tried to resist... but this was how far he could go. He could feel his men through the force disappearing into the portal or dieing to the assassin's companions.

Scourge said, "So… this is how His game ends. I had thought it would be something less dramatic. More sudden." Scourge breathed in, and he breathed out. He activated his red lightsaber. "I accept the duel. If I am going to be executed, I intend to die on my feet."

Galen swept into the room in a burst of lightning and Force energy. At the same time Scourge charged at him, calling on the Force to fuel him, to bring him rage. He could sense it, the carefully controlled anger that fueled the assassin's Dark Side power, and it fueled him in turn. While Galen was chaotic and his aura emitted lightning in every direction, Scourge's was as solid as a large boulder slamming into him.

Galen was knocked back into the wall. He landed on his feet and leaped high. At the same moment Scourge slammed a Force Push into where he was. The impact left a large dent in the solid metal wall.

"Okay. Tougher than expected." Galen breathed. Lightning extended from his fingers and he clung to the ceiling like a spider.

"I am a champion of the Eternal Emperor. Do not tease me with such a pitiful display." Scourge growled. It chaffed to be underestimated.

More than that, something about the situation felt wrong. Why would the masters assassin be ignorant to his potential? Why would the Master not strip him of his power to leave him as a lamb to the slaughter? Was this a game? Or was this something more?

Scourge did not have long to ponder. Galen leaped from the ceiling at him. As expected, Galen knew he could not face him in a duel of raw strength, so he opted for dexterity and evasion and speed. Unfortunately for him, Scourge had many long years of practice. Scourge swiped wide and strong. He could not keep up with Galen's speed or dexterity, but he could still easily know where he was in the Force and force him to be on the defensive. Galen could not afford to do an attack of his own when he had to put all of his focus into evasion.

Scourge roared and felt the Force continue to make him stronger. He raised his lightsaber high then swept it down so fast it nearly took off Galen's nose as he leaped backwards. Scourge pressed it on him, continuing to do wide, fast, powerful swings to which Galen could only respond with leaping back. Everything in his way was cut down. Galen leaped backwards over a table and with the Force pushed it at Scourge.

Scourge stopped the table with his bare hands and threw it to the side. It clattered and screeched across the floor. Scourge drew his lightsaber again and steadily walked towards Galen.

"Damn…" Galen cursed to himself. Scourge was not just strong in the Force, he amplified his body with it fluently. "Okay, plan 'e'."

Galen shot lightning out of his hands at Scourge. This drew Scourge's attention. He wasn't very good at techniques like that, mostly physical amplification or drains. Lightning, fire, void, and the like with an elemental attribute were not his strong suit.

Scourge blocked the lightning with his lightsaber and pressed forward, but found his feet could not. The lightning was not a mere trickle, it was akin to a river being thrown at him. Scourge braced himself against it and struggled to not be forced back. Yet it was not as if he did not take advantage of it. He could feel the power being thrown at him, he could feel it was great, and like the master Sith he was, he used it. Pain trickled across his body as the lightning bypassed his lightsaber, pain that he used to focus his mind, make himself angry, anger to draw on the Dark Side. For every second of lightning Galen used on him, Scourge felt his inner strength grow. As a master of draining, he shot out red lightning of his own, a form of lightning that only sucked in the power and life and energy it touched, similar in nature to Void perhaps, were he to consider its source.

The two energies met and conflicted. One pulling in and the other pushing against. Until the lightning stopped in a flash and Scourge's lightning, having nothing left to feed on, shot across the room shattering the glass wall in an explosion. Wind sucked on him, but his stance was steady.

Galen was gone.

"What th-" Scourge gasped in pain, his body stiffened as electricity struck it, a sickening crunching sound entered his ears, and claws of lightning pierced his chest from behind.

"Gotcha." Galen breathed.

Scourge could do nothing. His arms and legs open wide and stiff. He couldn't breathe between the lightning filling his body and the claws piercing his chest. He could barely gurgle.

Galen panted a bit, having exerted himself but was nowhere near his limit yet. He pulled the claws from his body. Scourge fell flat on his face. Blood erupted from all over his body and sprayed Galen and the room around them, before lessening in pressure and settling for pooling on the floor. Galen spit it out. "Damn, shoulda kept my mouth closed."

'So this is the end.' Scourge thought. It was a welcome reprieve to die at last, to be free of the mortal shell and to ascend to the Force, but as he closed his eyes and waited… nothing happened. He did not feel weakness come over him. In fact, the opposite. He felt strengthened.

The Master had left abandoned him.

This realization confused Scourge greatly. He was being killed, yet the master was not letting him die. But that can't be unless they aren-

Unless this isn't Galen Marek, and isn't an agent of the Eternal Emperor.

Scourge grit his teeth angrily and braced himself. He picked himself up from the ground. Blood covered him, but he knew his body was replenishing it quickly. The numbness in his chest gave way as the holes patched themselves.

* * *

Oh… come on! That's not fair! That's just cheating! I call hacks!

I back up, shocked. Scourge rises to his knees, puts a hand on a knee, and pushes himself to a standing position. Even as I watch, the holes in his back begin to seal themselves with renewed flesh.

Of course, the bastard can heal. This has officially gone a bit beyond my pay grade! "Wet Blanket," I say into the transmitter. I am met with silence, but I know he can hear me. "I need some backup here! The guy can't die!"

"Pardon?" The Dark Side demi-god asks in my ear. I can just hear the dripping skepticism.

"Well I stabbed him in the heart, lungs, spine, and who knows what else at least ten times! And he is getting back up!"

Scourge stands fully healed and turns toward me. And from the amount of power flowing from him, he is even stronger than before… I doubt that trick will work twice. I ignite lightning from my hands as two words. On second thought, I need a stronger defense. I channel the lightning swords together into a rod. It immediately comes in handy as he swings at me with a quick, wide swipe. I try to evade, but he predicts my movement. I block it, but the blow still hits me hard enough to lift me off the ground and across the room. I roll across the floor and onto my feet. Scourge roars from the air, and I leap away in time to avoid him. He slams his lightsaber into the ground where I was, and the room shakes violently from it.

"Intriguing." Son replied sarcastically.

"Don't 'intriguing' me, this isn't a well-dressed high-class mystery for the rich and lazy! Get your ass in here!"

"Brother, you really should help him. When was the last time he asked for help?" Daughter said into the transmitter.

"Never." Son replied.

"Then it only shows how pr-"

I don't catch the rest as I continue to evade for my life. I try to get an attack in, but Scourge just shrugs it off and pressed on me. I swear! His skin was as tough as a rhino and he has all the single minded aggression of one! I shoot lightning at him, but he shrugs it off like its nothing. He lunges at me, and I leap back to get away, but he is even faster than before. His power had only grown over the course of the battle. Speed is my speciality, and I can't evade him! What steroids did he Force-shove into himself?! I want some!

Gonna have to use 'it'. Thanks for the idea, Falcon. I spin lightning around my fist.

Faster.

Faster!

Scourge is ontop of me. No more time! I drive the lightning drill into his chest. Blood erupts everywhere like a fountain. He hesit- No. He doesn't hesitate. He should have, but immortality has taken away that sense of fear. Despite the fatality of the wound, he continues to come at me like the overwhelmingly zealous Sith he is. He pushes himself into the drill. My arm erupts out of his back and the whole room is splattered in his blood, but in turn he grabs me in a bear hug.

His wound heals itself around my arm so that my limb becomes encased inside his body, and he squeezes me tightly into the embrace. He is taller, so he lifts me off the ground. I only have one arm left. I am pinned.

At first I am unsure what he is doing, I have never been in this position before, but I receive my answer as his embrace becomes tighter, and tighter. I find myself unable to breathe, and yet it continues to become tighter.

Oh. He's crushing me. Shit!

I let the full force of my electricity out of every orifice of my body. It manages to make him flinch and lessen the hold, but he doesn't release me. Instead, the damage I do to him only seems to fuel him further and the embrace becomes tighter than ever. I form claws out of my good hand and stab him repeatedly, but the only thing I receive for my trouble is the sound, and pain, of my ribs popping out of place.

I gasp painfully. Before long I feel something crack, I feel stabbed, and blood vomits out of my mouth. That could be bad. Brain! Status report!

'…'

I'm screwed.

A moment later a bat straight outta hell slams through the ceiling and lands behind Scourge. At the same moment Wet Blanket lands, Scourge's arms fall off and I fall to the floor. Scourge roars in pain. Son grabs Scourge in his legs flaps up briefly before slamming him again into the floor. He spins in the air, tosses him aside, transforms into a humanoid shape.

Son disappears and reappears in front of Scourge and swipes at him with his extended claws. Scourge's rapidly regrowing fist shoots out, slams into his open palm, and stops his hand short. Son's eyes widen. I gape.

Just how immortal is this guy!?

Scourge glares up at Son. Blood drips from his mouth and his eyes are defiant, "For a demigod… you aren't that strong. I've fought Him, and you are nothing in comparison."

Son's anger flares and his swipes at him with his other hand. Scourge's bravado proved to be a bluff. He doesn't stop it and blood splatters across the room as Son tears open his chest. Scourge collapses against the wall. He may be immortal, but the battle still took a toll on him. He no longer has the strength to fight a top-tier Dark Side assassin and a Dark Side demigod.

Son isn't satisfied and goes to town on his chest, repeatedly clawing at him. It really isn't a pretty sight. Not that I haven't spilled a great deal of the bastard's blood myself. So I'm not particularly bothered. But there is something about the sheer savagry of it that makes me think I would not want anyone else to see.

"Dang, Son. Think ya got-?" I ask, trying, and failing to have some accent that fits the phrase. But pain cuts my humor off short. Yeah, that feels like a rib is stabbing a lung. Blood flows uncomfortably from my mouth and I find I can't breath again.

Scourge groans painfully from where he lays. Daughter flies into the room and gently lands next to me. It doesn't take a detective to see I am in bad shape. How was I supposed to know the dingbat was immortal?! I call hacks! He would have died long ago were it not for him cheating…

Daughter may not have the power to heal, but she still gets me into a comfortable position.

"You're right. He refuses to die." Son states. "We can't just let him go. If we can't kill him, might as well take him. Mandalore's prisons should hold him."

"M-mandalore?" Scourge whispers.

I ignore the Sith and tap my transmitter. I gasp for breath. Damn, breathing hurts. I whisper, "Commander, how did it go?"

"The operation was a success, captain. We have the files and have deleted the rest. The invasion is going nowhere fast without it."

"And Squirt?"

"She was instrumental in helping us gain access to the archives. You would be proud. She is learning well. A few scratches and burns, but nothing to write home about."

I smile widely, pride warming my chest. Squirt is doing well. She is safe. There are many aspects of Force theory she cannot seem to get, but practical things she grasps quickly and easily. She learns hands-on.

"You… You fools!" Scourge breathes angrily. He struggles to have a voice with his chest ripped open like a savage animal had gotten to him. One did. "You have no idea… What you have done. You have ruined everything!"

Scourge struggles to his feet, but Son knocks him out. I stare up at the Sith. He seemed unusually angry for some reason, and not just because Son kicked his ass.

Oh well. He will cough it up when the interrogator gets to him. Might as well take him with us.

"Can we get out of the rain now?" Son asks. Daughter giggles at his annoyance.

I look up from where I lay. I had completely missed the fact it was raining on us. "Yeah, let's get out of here before reinforcements show up."

* * *

A field medic gets to me on the transport. After being jabbed with medigel syringes, having my ribs popped back into place, and told to take it easy for a day in a medigel bath, I feel beat up more than I already was.

We arrive back on the Ravager. Immediately an attended is in my face giving me an update of everything: who did what, where what is, who slept with who, blah blah blah. I tune out the soldier.

"Put him in the brig." I gesture to Scourge. The Sith is in chains designed to restrain Force users. His lightsaber is in my posession. The tough bastard put up a fight since waking up, but it was nothing we couldnt handle.

He may prove to be problematic though. A powerful Sith lord, a champion of the Eternal Emperor, with the uncanny ability to heal from any wound... death and the threat of death would placate most prisoners. Take that away as a factor and you have a regular player in an Escape the Room game, complete with restart buttons.

"Captain..." my assistant persists.

"Order the crew to continue with battle stations. Order the pilot to get us out of the system and back into deep space." I order a ranking officer. He salutes. I continue, "And tell him if he gets us caught again, I'm taking the leash off the Ravager and letting her pilot herself. Mandalore's orders be damned." Again he salutes. He turns to leave.

"Captain."

"AND!" I continue. The officer I'm talking to stops again. "Get a hold of the geek squad and see if they managed to crack into the transmission channels. AND tell them we have more goodies for them."

The officer stands there staring at me.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Is that everything, captain?"

"Actually, no. Tell them to fix my datapad. The battery exploded again."

"Captain."

"Another?... Captain, if I may, you really shouldnt be running it on your own electricity. The batteries are not designed for it."

"I know, but there are no energy cores that are designed for it in a Sith city when I'm out in the field."

"Perhaps bring extra batteries?"

I nod. "Fair thought. Regardless, that is all."

"Captain!"

I sigh, "You know you are as annoying as my last assistants?"

"Part of the job, captain. We have orders." He passes to me a datapad and taps the screen to show me something. I read it quickly. "A lot of deep cover agents had to blow their cover to get this to us." The assistant/soldier says grimly. I nod gravely.

"Lieutenant!" I bark.

The officer drops his head, groans, turns, and salutes. I yell, "Disregard all of that, we have orders from Mandalore and we are going to be late as it is. Except for the geek squad, I still want to them working to hack transmission channels." I grin widely. I have a plan.

"But first, you are seeing the medical ward." The field medic reminds me.

I groan. Have I mentioned how much I hate hospitals?

* * *

While Varus had received word of the battle, it would still take time to meet up. He would miss out on the first day, only to arrive on the second.

Nihilus observed the battle as it played out. Everything was going as scheduled. He positioned himself perilously close to the battle to be able to help push back against the Dread Lord's influence.

The battlefield was carefully controlled chaos. The full might of both fleets was on full display. There were starting to be losses beyond the scope of what he wished, and Nihilus found himself annoyed. He had planned for some losses. But he had also planned for Galen Marek arriving by now.

Ah, well. Nihilus had a backup.

"Send a message to the Forge to begin." Nihilus commanded. A soldier relayed the message in a transmission to HK-47/Forge.

The effect was instant. The wonders of a highly advanced machine hive-mind resulted in the entire miniature fleet of Forge ships moving as one. Nothing short of a swarm of many thousands of miniature ships flew out of the larger ones into the Sith fleet.

"H-how can it have so many fighters in those things?" Skywalker breathed in wonder.

Nihilus also found himself staring at it. He knew HK could be a powerful force, but this? "I believe… HK has no need for the same commodities or needs our ship designs take into account. Take away the need for brigs, living quarters, living support modules, and all such matters…"

Skywalker felt a chill go down his spine. Many of the fighters HK was using were similar in design to other ships. He saw the Forge snakes from long ago flying through the air like eels. He saw ships comparable to Confederacy fighters with its crab-like design. He saw piercing fast ships like an A-wing. All in all it was mixed and HK did not seem to mind stealing designs from other nations.

The fleet of Forge ships inserted itself into the battle smoothly as water. With a single mind, with a single purpose, HK reached out as if with claws deep into the Sith fleet.

Nihilis smirked. He was impressed. The plan was for HK to take advantage of the opening he had made, but the agility HK had both on a massive scale and individual level made his heart skip a beat. Almost. Hard to tell when the body was almost dead.

HK would be a fearsome power when all of this was over. If HK continued to evolve, then the galaxy would shudder under its weight. HK would become a walking disaster, a sheer force of nature. All the nations would either seek to claim it for themselves, or seek to destroy it out of fear.

He hoped to see it when the galaxy realized the potential of HK.

"Care to bet whether or not HK can contend with a Dread Lord?" Nihilus looked to Skywalker.

"I would be surprised if it didn't." Skywalker replied. "I will pass on the bet."

The minutes ticked by. Every moment the invasion fleet was closer to taking losses it could not afford. Nihilus watched HK's progress as it slithered its way closer to its prey. Nihilus slowly lifted his hand. The timing had to be crucial. HK's swarm reached the ship where one of the Dread Lords commanded, and seemingly wrapped itself around it.

Nihilus lifted his hand, and said-

 _ **Here we go, here we go**_

 _ **It's about time that we set it off**_

The whole room fell silent as music blasted the room.

 _ **Here we go, here we go**_

 _ **Red lights, I could never stop**_

"What the!" Skywalker exclaimed. "Is that music?!"

Nihilus was uncharacteristically characteristically speechless. While being silent was his common fall-back, being stunned into it was not. If he wasn't wearing a helmet he would be slack jawed.

 _ **A dreamer with the fever to be great was all I ever want, was all I ever wanted**_

 _ **A finder with the fever for the fame was all I ever want, was all I ever wanted**_

 _ **Got me singin' like**_

 _ **Bang, bang**_

 _ **Bang, bang**_

 _ **Bang, bang**_

 _ **This fire's the weapon**_

 _ **Bang, bang**_

 _ **Bang, bang**_

 _ **Bang, bang**_

 _ **Won't stop till we're legend**_

"Find another channel!" Skywalker demanded. "Get a message out for the fleet to retreat."

"Sir! The music is transmitting on every channel!" An officer said. "We can't get a word out!"

"Every channel?!" Skywalker repeated.

"Yes, sir… Even the Sith ones we haven't been able to access."

"Wha…" Skywalker gasped. Even the Sith channels?! But they hadn't been able to figure out how! "What idiot would be transmitting… on… every… channel…" Realization dawned over his face and he fell equally slack jawed as Nihilus. Nihilus secretly appreciated the helmet keeping his reputation intact.

Skywalker's datapad dinged with a message from Ahsoka. It read: "ITS HIM ITS HIM ITS HIM ITS HIM! :D" Not that he read it, he was too busy staring dumbly out at where a Warp fissure was opening and a very familiar shape appeared.

 _ **Here we go, here we go**_

 _ **It's my turn to make history**_

 _ **Here we go, here we go**_

 _ **When I'm gone they'll remember me, yeah**_

"Sir! A ship is coming out of Warp!.. It-It's the Ravager!"

Nihilus and Skywalker both groaned and slapped their hands to their faces in sync.

* * *

I sit on my throne beating my head to the music. Out of the corner of my eye I see Squirt beating her head to the music as well, and Son merely taps his foot. (Pretty sure his favourite music genre would be 'scream'.) I feel Ahsoka excitedly, persistently, poking my mind now that I am near enough to sense her and I respond in the Force with a poke back. I want to reform the bond, I ache for it, even if it's just for a little while, but I don't draw attention to her for the Sith to sense as they sense the bond itself.

We have waited months. We can wait a few hours… if I can last that long. I haven't felt her skin and mind in forever.

" **YOU REVEALED OUR HAND AT FIGURING OUT THE SITH FLEET CHANNEL FREQUENCIES TO BLAST MUSIC ACROSS AN ENTIRE BATTLEFIELD?!** " My second in command exclaims. He has to yell incredibly loudly to be heard over the music.

I stop beating my head to the music long enough to stare at him. and at the same time I sense a great deal of confusion and anger across the entire system. Two major sources of confusion, anger, and unsettled I feel familiarity to as Tree-Hugger and Nihilus. Daughter has her face in her hand, ashamed.

I answer, "You make that sound like it's a bad thing."


	16. Episode 4 - Beachhead Part 3

The Sith, confused by the music being blasted in their channels, reacted slowly, if at all, to the actions of the invasion fleet. Without the proper ability to relay orders or be aware of what was happening around them, they became isolated vessels in a sea of ships. In other words: total anarchy.

Nihilis could use this. He ordered, "Apprentice, cut off communication with the ally fleet, but invade the Sith channels as long as you can before they change frequencies."

Varus replied on the channel, "Right. Remind me to stab you later." The image disappeared.

"Sir, Ravager has cut the line." An officer said.

"Its fine, he knows what to do." Nihilis replied.

"Annoying as it is, Varus is giving us a window of opportunity to accomplish something." Skywalker mused.

"Indeed. Tell the heavy vessels to fall back. Have the fleet reengage with the Sith, pick off targets while they are confused." Nihilis ordered.

Skywalker looked at the map while Nihilis relayed orders. On the map he saw the Sith scatter and lose cohesion and formation as each reacted to their own perception. HK's swarm of fighters penetrated all the way to the vessel a Dread Lord was on and fully encased like a swarm of bees attacking someone. If the Force waves were any sign, HK had found the Sith Dread Lord and was in battle.

Skywalker knew fighting HK was difficult, but fighting an army of it added whole layers of difficulty.

Meanwhile the Ravager entered into the fray, firing on anything and everything in range, while typically taking advantage of its mass in ramming them. Hopefully the living ship knew to be careful, it had a crew now filling its modules and coridors. Bolts of lightning shot put of its hull against fighters to come close, and the Sith must consider it a viable threat as a sizable portion of their fleet directed their attention on the Leviathan class ship.

The window of opportunity provided by Varus and the Ravager, in more or less causing a massive communication blackout among the Sith fleet, lasted for a few minutes longer, but it was a powerful moment. The much smaller fleet lead by Darth Nihilis in secret with Skywalker coordinated against the Sith, picked off targets, and isolated them. The Sith were unable to properly coordinate a defense of their Dread Lord, and their attempts to corner the Ravager or surround it could have been better executed by toddlers; as each Sith, by their nature, focused on their own strength, their own goals, and fell to total anarchy.

The moment came that the Sith reestablished communications with new channels using new codes the Ravager had not the information to hack. The Sith restored coordination and cooperation across the fleet. But the damage was done. A massive swath of their fleet had been torn apart, and judging what Nihilis felt in the Force… the Dread Lord was dead.

He knew the moment came that the Dread Lord had died, as a wave of the Force rippled outward almost as a physical wind, and a massive series of screams came from the other Dread Lords in the surrounding orbit. It was a scream that sent Skywalker to his knees and Nihilus shivered. Every Force user around them heard the screech painfully. For a brief moment this scream caused further disturbance in the Sith fleet as it seemed to pause and reel in pain as well.

"Wha-what was that?" Skywalker asked when the screaming subsided.

"The Dread Lords…"

"I… I have never felt anything like that. It was like five voices in one. Each voice equally loud, but together making an echo louder than the whole. Loud enough to silence a planet."

"And so you understand the power of the Dread Lords." Nihilus replied. "In truth, I had hoped the scream would be much louder. Ripping away one of them, like tearing a limb from their union of souls, would be painful enough, but it seems it wasn't."

Nihilus had hoped the scream would be intense enough to send the Dread Lord's own Sith fleet into madness as their power to influence the mind worked against them. But alas… it seemed the Dread Lords had a tolerance for spiritual pain slightly higher than anticipated. Interesting… So few in the galaxy can build a tolerance for pain of the spirit. This wound would go much further than just the Force.

Skywalker stepped in and ordered the fleet to retreat back behind a nearby planet. It was part of the plan, so Nihilus stepped back to return to focusing his power on pushing back against the Dread Lords. The Dread Lords were infuriated and empowered by their pain and anger, and it took Nihilus' full focus to keep them from reaching their influence into the minds of the invasion fleet.

As Nihilus felt the energies in the system play out, he felt other ripples. The Dread Lord's reached out for him like great tentacles, and he reached back with his own, entangling himself with them and occupying them. Their effects on his mind were pointless. He was utterly immune to it. He was not a Sith of flesh and mind or matter any longer, he was a Dark Side presence and a Void being in its most raw form. Along with them, Nihilus felt the Dread Lord's reach out for the Ravager, but the Ravager rebuffed them. Varus would be easily receptable to their method of attack, but the Force demi-gods with him on the ship were like perpetual suns. Any attempt to reach to the ship decayed and withered long before reaching it.

Then Nihilus felt Him.

At first Nihilus thought what he felt was nothing, a Void presence. An absence of the Force, of life. And it was true, he felt it. There was a powerful source of Void on the planet that was like a physical wound on the Force, bleeding and pulsating with a deep infection. But there was something far greater, far… blacker. It was a fire that burned hotter than the volcanic surface of the planet. It was a hatred so deep Nihilus could not fathom it, it was alien to him and as impossible to understand as anyone else would be able to understand him.

This dark presence was not easy to sense. It was a presence so dark, it could be compared to a black sun. Yet, unlike a sun, it did not radiate outwards. Neither could Nihilus consider it to be a black hole or Void, as the presence did not pull on others either, nor was a wound in the Force. It was carefully controlled, intact, and would be easy to miss in its stillness. Like a still lake it did not ripple, yet Nihilus felt there were eyes far beneath the waves of this darkness that watched passively. It was as solid and dense as metal and as hard to discern as a thick rain. Every bit of power within this Dark Side presence was as controlled as a still-man pretending to be a statue.

Like a shield it covered the planet in its entirety and vastness so that Nihilus could not discern anything more.

Nihilus looked long enough into the darkness that it looked back. By Nihilus' nature he draws on all things, but in this case it was a dark tendril of the Force that did not seek to pull back, but to penetrate in. Nihilus felt Him pierce his consciousness like a spear and imbed itself deep.

 **Nihilus. It is interesting to know you yet live. And for you to take up arms against me with them… Sith, Jedi, they are all the same to you. The only galaxy you envision is a dead one where you may feast until there is nothing left to feast upon and you die within yourself or go into madness. I had no doubt you would seek to join in the festivities, but to be an active player in my game? I will admit that is not… entirely expected.**

 **"Valkorian."** Nihilus murmured into the Force.

 **I should be thanking you. You showed me something new. A way to shape the galaxy in my image. Before, I would have been content with war. But now I can aim for something far grander. Tell me, Nihilus, why have you come? Is it to have a delicious feast on the death of war? Is it to join me in victory? To join in my ascension? To kill me? To take my power, my immortality for your own and rid yourself of your hunger?**

 **"I came for you."** Nihilus answered.

 **Then come. I no longer hide. The hour of my ascension draws near, and I wish to see what this galaxy has to offer before I am done with it.**

The presence disappeared from Nihilus' mind as quickly and easily as it entered. As the presence left him, it left a wound in his spirit, not unlike the wound he had planned to give the Dread Lords. Nihilus controlled himself enough not to scream into the Force, as by his nature that would have killed everyone on his side. That would be inconvenient. Rather, Nihilus fell to his knees and felt his host body scream as the spiritual pain he felt became a physical one. It became a form of pain Nihilus was wholly unaccustomed to now, and it was fresh and new.

Suffice to say, people panicked just a little bit, not least of all Skywalker. It was not a small thing to see, and hear, a sociopathic Force entity incapable of normal emotions, and incapable of feeling pain, to fall to his knees out of the clear blue and scream in pain as if he had been set on fire.

"What is wrong?" Skywalker asked. Anakin tried to sense what it was that had hurt Nihilus. He sensed nothing.

Nihilus did not respond for a time. He was in shock. Pain was a bodily function he had not felt since his awakening. His enemies had never hurt him, Varus had never hurt him, the Jedi had never hurt him, the pain of the host had never hurt him, in short, Nihilus lived in a content bliss incapable of pain or setback save for hunger. It did make life boring, in a sense, to no longer have a true consequence to his actions.

But the revival of pain… the memory of it now given reality and form, brought something to Nihilus he had forgotten. Values. It made the upcoming conflict have more value. Nihilus found he disliked pain. Pain was no longer merely inconvenient, he didn't like it. He hated it. He wanted to fight it or flee from it and return to the cocoon of emptiness that always covered him. He wanted to stop the hunger, and now he wanted to remove the source of pain.

Nihilus stood. "I'm fine," he said, as neutrally as ever.

In truth, he was the furthest thing from fine. His entire existence felt shaken, his foundation as an ascended being of Force energy was thrown into question. He could no longer be sure of himself… of anything. If he had cast aside pain, but now felt it, then what else had he cast aside that would return? Would he become as mortal… as flawed as anyone else? As Skywalker? Would all that he had worked for, his very ascension, account for nothing? Was his ascension to be finite, limited, and be held back by more than just an ever growing hunger? What was he missing!

Nihilus hated lies. It was a mortal flaw he had cast aside. But then again, so was pain once.

So he lied.

* * *

The Sith fell back, reeling under their losses, and returned to encircling the planet. A small fleet of only about three major vessels and twenty support cruisers appeared out of Warp, lead by Revan, and forced the Sith to focus their attention in multiple directions as they engaged in hit and run tactics. At this time there was no communication between the Mandalore's invasion fleet and Revan's rebel fleet, with the Sith between them blocking communication, but the opposing fleet could be seen visually dancing with them.

The Ravager fell back to the main invasion fleet.

HK reported that the fourth day was coming up, and that the ships Nihilus requested were having the finishing touches done to them.

Nihilus gave one final order: To observe as he performs a miracle.

* * *

I board the transport vessel onboard the Ravager docking station. The pilot patiently waits for confirmation to leave.

"Finally," I sigh. I lean back and close my eyes. I don't feel relaxed, not yet. I try, but something is missing.

We are finally back with the invasion fleet. After what has felt like years alone and isolated deep behind enemy lines, the Ravager can take a breather. The crew can take a moment to rest. Squirt can see her father, and I can insult him. (What are brother's for?) I can assure Tree-Hugger I am well. While I'm at it, I can tell Nihilus to go screw himself.

I can see Ahsoka again. Just the thought ties my stomach in knots.

Squirt runs in, throws her bag on the floor under her seat next to mine, and plants her butt down next to me. She barely puts her butt down before she is jumping up again. And back down a few seconds later. And then pacing.

"I can't quite be sure, but I get the feeling you are the slightest bit nervous?" I wonder.

"Of course, I am!" Squirt exclaims. "I haven't seen papa in so long!" Her expression ranges from nervously excited to nervously dreadful and sad. "You think he will be impressed with how far I've come?"

I chuckle, reach out, and put a hand on her head. "Relax, Squirt. I swear, you got your nervousness from him…"

"Huh?"

"You're just as worried about impressing him as he always is of doing well with you. You may not remember, but when you first exhibited the Force, as explosively as you did, you brought out his greatest fear: of being a bad father. It did not help that you have always been attached to me. He felt he wasn't good enough."

"Of course, he was!" Squirt exclaimed. It didn't matter to her what little fears Koj had, he was a good father. She just wanted a father.

"Now you fear being good enough, like he did. Do you not think that perhaps he would be proud of you no matter what?" I continue. Squirt sits down and takes the words in. "Short of being a criminal or defy the Maker, there is nothing you could do to make him less than proud. Be a nerf herder if you want."

Squirt smiles at the thought and it seems to settle down her thoughts and reassure her. "Thanks."

I nod. "It's what I'd say if I was him."

We settle down. More soldiers enter the transport and set themselves up. Wet Blanket and Queen Elizabeth don't show up, as they can just 'magically' teleport like a bunch of cheapskates. The pilot gets the all-clear and we take a temporary leave of the Ravager.

I left the Ravager in good hands. It took a lot of work, but leading a crew isn't as painstakingly hard as I thought. Having good officers make all the difference, and I relied a lot on what Ashley Marr taught me.

Before long the transport is in movement and landing on the flagship to the invasion fleet. The door bay opens and the soldiers mill out into the collective. Squirt stands, grabs her bags, and lugs them on her back before sprinting out the door. I pop my neck, grab my own bag, and walk out after her.

In the distance the soldiers salute higher officers before taking their helmets off and meeting with friends. Koj, Tree-Hugger, and another armored soldier (Nihilus, judging from the Force aura) are in the distance. Squirt immediately runs straight into Koj, and gives him a hug-tackle, causing him to nearly fall. I wince on his behalf, Squirt had learned to do that with me. However, Koj takes it well and pats her on the head.

"Varus." Tree-Hugger smiles in greeting. He extends a hand and I shake his hand.

"Galen." Nihilus says blankly.

"Tree-Hugger, Shithead." I greet them back. "I'd say it's good to see you, but I'd be lying. Since this whole thing started you two have been tied to the hip, I'm surprised Padme hasn't gotten jealous."

Tree-Hugger raises an eyebrow but otherwise doesn't respond. Swear to the Force, he got that from Nihilus. They are truly rubbing off on each other.

"Son told us you captured a high priority target." Nihilus said.

"You mean, Scourge?" I ask.

Tree-Hugger rolls his eyes, "He just got here, can we not go down to business first thing?"

Nihilus turns to look at him for about four seconds before turning back to me, "I want to meet with him."

"Later. Squid-face is locked down." Tree-Hugger smiles in amusement at the nickname I chose for Scourge… Although actually 'Scourge' is far cooler. Maybe I should stick with that! But I find it easier to remember him by his facial feature of a squid-like chin. Oh decisions decisions! The cool name or the useful one!

"I also need to meet with you about what the plan is for tomorrow."

"Later."

"You remember the battle of Vergus?"

"Later."

"What happened in Vergus?" Tree-Hugger asks.

I eye him as if to say 'Really? Don't encourage him.'

"Galen and I worked together."

"Later!" I repeat once again. "Squirt, Queen Elizabeth, Wet Blanket, and I have been running around hurting the Sith where it hurts for months now! I would like to have an evening, preferably with my wife, not talking business!"

"Who is Queen Elizabeth and who is Wet Blanket? Are these two people you have given nicknames to?" Skywalker asks.

"Why does anyone care?" Nihilus retorts.

"Your demi-god siblings: Daughter and Son." I answer. "Daughter has a queenly grace and nobility to her and how she approaches people and life, so it was fitting. And Son doesn't want to go along with any of my ideas, so I dubbed him 'Wet Blanket'."

Tree-Hugger grins. That's the smile of a younger brother with blackmail material.

I look around, but alas, I don't see her. I can sense her so far as being nearby, but she is not actively transmitting herself to me. Her presence is dim. "Just where is Ahsoka anyway?"

"Unfortunately, busy." Tree-Hugger's smile dims a bit. "With the casualties rolling in, she wanted to be useful."

"'Useful'?" I question. "'soka is always useful. Are you two holding her back or something?"

"Of that, there is no doubt, but Snips was the one to suggest taking a more managerial position, or a supportive one. Her skills with a lightsaber, top notch. She is among the Jedi's best thanks to her practice with you, but her dogfighting skill is below average."

"She can fly." I argue.

"Yes, but dogfighting is a whole different thing. Right?"

I nod. It is true.

"And we have been using a plan that is devoid of ship boarding, so Snips was left with either helping around on the ship or twiddling her thumbs. Once we establish a beachhead, then we can all take the fight to them ourselves. I'm also having to take a step back from fighting. But, you know what? I'm sure you can ask her all about it, she messaged me that she was going to help out in the 1016th medical bay."

"Medical bay, ten-sixteenth?" I repeat.

Tree-Hugger reaches out and gives me a brief one-armed hug. 'Cuz we're men. Two-arms is too sappy. Like twice the sap. One-armed is already sappy as it is. Half the sap is plenty, one whole sap is pushing it but is acceptable for family, and twice the sap makes me want to stab people.

"Give her my best." Tree-Hugger says. "We can catch up later, go see her."

"I will." I promise. I walk away. I would give Koj a good talk, but I catch him sitting on a crate with Squirt. Judging from how her hands are flying with expression and he nods, she is deep in telling him of the adventures I've taken her on. He's either going to kill me for taking her into danger like she is my student or kiss me for protecting her like she was my own daughter. Either way is equally possible, and I cannot tell for the life of me which direction he is leaning towards with his poker face. He and Nihilus could take each other on.

I'd pay to see Nihilus and Koj play a poker game.

Without further hinderance or social obligations, beyond swiping my ID through the inboard checkpoint, I sprint my way to the 1016th medical bay. Ships like these are designed with empty spaces for modules or bays, and the modules can be placed in and out at shipyards based on the needs of the next voyage. Ships are actually designed to have entire miniature 'buildings' inserted into slots that way. Depending on the frame and 'skeleton' of the ship. Just a little something Ahsoka taught me. So while it is not important, it does mean that the structure of the ship is not the same from ship to ship, though one can argue for 'standard best practice' in design.

That's really just my explanation as to why I need to stop and find a map. Otherwise I would say I didn't come prepared and look stupid for running down a hall with no idea where I am going. But! Temporary obstacle out of the way, and without further hinderance this time (I promise), I run to the 1016th medical bay, and enter in.

"Love?" I ask outloud. I glance around. The medical bay has multiple decks with multiple rooms and from what I can see, and feel in the Force, they are all full. Every bed is taken. They are even having to make room on the floor for all the wounded. The doctors and nurses were at their wits end keeping up with all the wounded, they had to recruit the less wounded-patients and soldiers to help. Most of the Jedi I sense in the system were in medical bays like this. So many Jedi with their Light Side presence in the same place made it almost impossible to sense her.

Almost.

Ahsoka and I have this bond thing that lets us sense each other in even the hardest places. It's like a ribbon tied between our souls that if you but tug at it, follow it, we will always find each other. The bond these last months has been diminished and suppressed to keep the Sith from finding either of us, but now we have a chance to put it back where it belongs.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I find her. I find Ahsoka collapsed against the wall catching some sleep. There is no beds here for her to take and while she must have a bed in a cabin or barracks here she must have been too tired to get to it. Poor thing.

I grin wickedly.

I take the end of my robe sleeve and gently, ever so gently, brush it up and down the head-tentacles dangling down her chest. Some people might take a feather to her nose, but no, I know her. I know her weak spots. Her head-tentacles are a million times more sensitive and hit all of the good points of her brain. Immediately I sense from her… pleasure, then annoyance. She swats at me like I'm an annoying fly.

That just won't do.

I put a finger on it and let electricity out. Just a quick zap. It's kinda my thing to do from time to time. I think all lovers have a thing they do that only they do, and is kind of their thing. I don't know what others do, but Ahsoka bites, and I give her a little… love zap. I know just the spot too.

She flinches, eye's wide, I laugh, she tackles me, people cheer as she shows me how long we can go without breathing, and without a word we run up to do some… catching up. I'll keep this PG and leave out the details. I'll just say we had a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

"And then, I was invited to a poker game called 'Spades'."

"Oh?" I grin widely. "Does it involve shovels? Because its rather ominous to be playing a gambling game with a name involving shovels. You take the loser out back and-"

"No, it's just a name. Hush." Ahsoka flicks me on the face. She adjusts herself and gets herself comfortable curled up on me again. "When did you even learn what 'ominous' means?"

"Hey, I've eaten a good book in my time!" I reply. She laughs.

"Yes, you have. Now hush! So I join the clones at a game of spades. I'll tell you what, that game has confusing rules when it's your first time! I basically took a page out of your book, said 'screw it', forgot the rules that involved winning, and did what I wanted."

"Ohhhhhhh," I breathe. "I am such a bad influence on you."

"You're totally a horrible influence. But the game involves a lot of rounds. Each round you gamble on how many sets you will win, and if you meet it, you get points. Fail and you lose the points you gambled. However!" She puts up a finger. "If you win too many in a round, and then too many later, it can reach a point where you lose a hundred points."

"Yeah… That's confusing." I comment.

"That's the summary. Basically you need to balance winning and losing… if you take the game seriously."

"Which you did not."

"Which I did not." She agrees. "I quickly figured out you can go into the negatives, so I decided to set myself my own personal win. If I can end on an even zero, I win. The result was that I would purposefully win some games, purposefully lose others. I would bet high, or bet low. Some rounds I took seriously enough to make sure I got points, others I threw caution to the wind."

"You little minx." I chastise her with a proud smile. I squeeze her shoulder. "You completely screwed with their heads, didn't you?"

"Yep!" She laughs. "I had the men completely fazzled in the end, they couldn't figure out my play. I figured out I could sabotage some, and then help them later. They also thought they could have the edge on me, being clones and all. They have a million subtle expressions only other clones know, which are not normal or are so small a normal person wouldn't notice. However… I had been playing with Koj and-"

"KOJ PLAYS POKER!?" I exclaim.

"Varus, Love… " She whispers. "He's a beast at it."

"I knew it. I freakin' knew it!"

"So playing with Koj had helped me develop poker faces and learn to discern signs from others. Ontop of my skills already for it as a Jedi. I had those boys twisted around my little finger." She raises a pinky for emphasis.

"I'm almost jealous. I thought I was wrapped around your finger." I make myself sound hurt.

"Oh, don't worry. Your spot wasn't taken there." She chuckles, leans up, and kisses me.

"Hmm." I hum. I kiss her back. "Not suspecting you of cheating, if that is what you mean."

"Good to know." She gets comfortable again. "So… what happened with you?"

Aaaaaaaaaaand… there is the giant pink elephant in the room.

"You know I can't tell you, 'Shoka…" I whisper.

She sighs, "I know. I know how this works. I just need to hear it. I know you… I know you resisted, but there is no way you could have survived that deep in Sith territory, as an assassin, without falling back on Starkiller."

"It's true. I did." I admit. "I… I had to survive. I had to push thoughts of you away, or it would tear me apart with the need to return home. I had to push the mindset of compassion and mercy out, as you and Tree-Hugger taught me, in order to fight a war surrounded by Sith and blend in as best I could. I had to let my Dark Side out fully. The Sith were quick to learn of me, and their culture involved so much bloodshed even among their houses that their ways were able to keep up with me and I was nearly caught any of a dozen times. But I didn't fall, Love. Not completely back to it. I thanked the Force every day that Squirt was there to keep me grounded. Without her, and being in Son's presence so often, I want to say I would have come out as Varus again… but Ahsoka… the Sith… The Sith this Emperor molded into his image, is darker and beyond anything I could have imagined. There are things I learned, I hope you never get to see."

I turn my head to look at her. "So as we rebuild this Bond, I need you to understand there is a dark corner of my mind, I never want you touching."

"I'm not running away from it." She argues.

"No. I am. I don't want to be reminded. And I don't want you to know either. I want it to disappear."

She breathes in and out shakily. I sense her hurt, her ache on my behalf that there is something I saw that horrific. "Is it worse than what you went through under Nihilus?"

"Ahsoka." I reach up and cup her face. "There is no comparison."

"Okay. Then that dark corner is off-limits. But if it affects your PTSD, you are sharing it with a shrink."

"Yes, maam."

I breathe easier. The things I saw… even as a Sith who once served Darth Nihilus, just thinking about it makes me want to vomit. Koj was right when he said his brand of hatred was childish in comparison. The Sith are bred to hate, they bathe in hate, they breathe it, they embrace it, and they invent new ways of using it until it permeates every aspect of their culture. I just hope we never have to see some of it again.

We most likely will.

* * *

Nihilus was a patient man. However there was a timetable to keep, so at the earliest convenience he and Skywalker searched the brig for Varus' prize prisoner: Scourge.

He was a lot more red than Nihilus expected. He must be one of the last remaining pureblood Sith.

"Lord Scourge." Nihilus greeted him from outside the cell. "Or is it Darth Scourge?"

"Scourge will suffice." The prisoner replied. Scourge raised his head to glance sideways at his guests. Nihilus felt him extend out with the Force and touch them, ever so briefly. "You are Jedi and…" Scourge looked solidy at Nihilus. "I don't know what you are."

"I am a Jedi Master, yes." Skywalker said. Skywalker was tense, but polite. "My name is Anakin Skywalker."

"Then you are the one the master knows of." Scourge replied. He stood up from the bunk and approached the force field.

"So you have done your homework."

"He senses you. He always has."

"'He', being your master, being The Emperor?"

"Yes." Scourge replied simply.

Nihilus said. "I am here for information. If you are unwilling to supply any, then-"

"I would tell you all I know, if I could." Scourge cut him off.

This raised both of their collective eyebrows. Nihilus and Skywalker glanced to each other.

"You would?" Skywalker asked.

"If it was possible. But it is not. You are wasting your time here. You should not have come, that is all I will say." Scourge answered. He returned to his bunk and sat.

Skywalker licked his lips, uncertain suddenly with where this was going or what to do. Was this prisoner cooperative or not? A traitor or not? He was getting mixed signals and didn't know what to make of it. "Okay, for starters, why can you not tell us anything?"

Scourge did not answer.

"You know, it goes a long way to cooperation when you can at least help me lay a groundwork to work from."

"You should not be here." Scourge said again. "The master can kill me at any time he wishes. Yet… he has not. Clearly he wants me here. He-" Scourge cut off, as if tongue tied. He cleared his throat and returned to silence.

Anakin sighed. Nihilus asked, "Is the Emperor here? I sensed him before."

"He is."

"Why here? Surely he would be better off hiding in a fortress or bunkered down in a heavily defended city planet."

"… Because he wants to show you that this has reached the end-game." Scourge answered. "You are right to say this place has little value, normally. But it is special to him. He says he wants to show you something. He also wants to meet you." Scourge looked up at Anakin.

"You are in communication with him, then?" Skywalker guessed.

Scourge nodded.

"How?"

Scourge would not answer.

Anakin turned his back and whispered, "I don't like this, he is far too choosy about his answers."

Nihilus stared at Scourge, nodded, and walked away. Anakin looked at him, briefly confused, before following. The guards standing nearby darkened the lights as they left, and Scourge leaned against the wall and closed his eyes in the darkness.

"Just because I say I don't like this, doesn't mean we need to walk away." Anakin said.

"He is right. We are wasting our time. He will tell us nothing, but at the same time we have learned something. He is a ghoul."

"A what?"

"It means he is not in complete control of his body. He is a puppet of another."

"You mean like the Eternal Hand Priors?"

"Similar, yes, but created by a different means. It is one of the greatest Dark Side techniques there are, the most powerful, and the most unnatural." Nihilus nodded. "This means he cannot and will not tell us what the 'master' does not want us to know. It doesn't matter if we interrogate him, offer a deal, or try and be chummy like you were."

"I was not trying to be chummy." Anakin pouted.

"Then that was possibly the worst attempt at interrogation I have ever witnessed. He told us what the master wanted him to tell us. The Emperor wants us to know he has a spy in our midst. And there is nothing we can do about it short of jettisoning him into space. Unlike the Priors, a ghoul cannot die until the master wills it. And every sight, every sound, every sensation is seen and heard by the master."

Anakin considered this a moment. "So Scourge is acting as the Emperor's eyes and mouth to us."

Nihilus nodded.

"That makes him valuable." Anakin concluded. "Now we have a direct line of communication to the Emperor. Mandalore will want to know about this."

"By all means, tell him. But I would be more concerned with some of his vague warnings. He said the Emperor has reached the end game, and wants to show us something. I would not consider these to be idle threats if I were you. This only leads credence to the possibility that this is a trap."

Anakin hardened his eyes. "I assure you, I have not. I am taking this very seriously. We will find the Emperor, and we will end this war. I have dealt with my fair share of traps. The Force is my guide. It has never failed me when I needed it."

"Be that as it may… it is time for the next stage of my plan. I had hoped to get something more valuable out of the Sith, even with a touch of torture, but alas."

Anakin frowned. He knew what the plan was for this stage, and he didn't like it. "It's far too soon. He only just got here. The plan, that I convinced you to change if I might add, is that we rest for today. HK-47 doesn't have your ships ready yet."

"Correction: It does. It is a wonderous machine, constantly seeking evolution, growth, and efficiency. It estimated four days, but it finished in three. HK is standing by to deploy. And isn't Revan is supposed to arrive at some point?"

"He did say he would be here. You are right. I cannot help but wonder where he is."

"No matter. We will suffice."

"Not yet." Anakin took hold of Nihilus' arm and turned him. "Give Varus a little time. Let him have a day with his wife."

"How is that my problem? I have a war to win. You want me to put this entire armada on hold for one person, when he is professional enough to fight like a good assassin despite his… attachments?"

Anakin sighed. "At least… give him the night."

"… The night and no more."

"So long as we are being reasonable." Anakin released Nihilus. "Now, return to the cabin. We need to report to Mandalore."

Nihilus eyed Anakin from the side. Anakin's tone brooked no argument. Moments like this revealed how deeply Anakin loathed him, despite putting up with him as his warden. Nihilus couldn't really blame him. Attacking the Jedi Temple and his son probably put him at the top of Skywalker's list of villains he wished he could stab.

"As you wish."

* * *

Ahsoka entered the brig. Some might question the sanity of her choice, but she felt it was necessary. Not just to her, but the Force. It wasn't so much a verbal message, but she felt the Force tug her gently this direction. She could almost see a child tugging at her sleeve as she walked.

"Commander Ahsoka!" The soldier in charge greeted in surprise. He stood from his desk. She recognized him as a clone. He wore his full armor on duty, but she could readily see the nervousness in him. She smiled widely. She could sense his surprise and excitement easily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't call ahead, and its not commander anymore. I don't lead anyone."

"Nonsense. You say the word and my brothers will follow you, official rank or not… it's an honor, truly! We can't thank you enough for helping orchastrate our independence! I have rights and a family and… I'm sorry, I'm probably coming across as a fanboy." He rubbed his helmet nervously.

Ahsoka laughed. She took his hand and shook it on her own. "I understand perfectly. Sometimes you just gotta let it out. I'm happy for you. I wouldn't even mind letting you tell me all about your life since the civil war, but I'm afraid I'm kind of here on business."

He looked at the door over her shoulder briefly. He whispered, "No escort. In a high security prison. Is it secret business?"

"Not so much. I don't care if anyone knows, but I don't feel I need an escort either. I'm here to see the prisoner my husband brought in. I don't remember his name, Varus always uses nicknames, but he is a Sith."

"Ah, yes. I know who you are referring to. Right this way. He is incredibly dangerous, supposedly took a Force demi-god to defeat! I can't just let you go alone ma'am. I insist on coming along."

"If he took who I think he did, you are more than likely the one between us being rescued." Ahsoka smiled apologetically. "Let me handle it."

The clone looked between the door and her, back and forth. His shoulders slumped. "You're right. Go ahead." He reached down at his desk and after hitting a few keys, the door opened. "Cell number 24, commander."

Ahsoka thanked him and entered the cell block. It didn't take long to find the cell in question. His signature in the Force was powerful. An interesting thing, though. She had been around so many people infinitely stronger than her than he didn't phase her at all.

The prisoner looked up as she approached from where he sat in the corner. He had forgone the bed. Ahsoka pulled up a chair and sat down. His skin was red, and he had tentacle-like things extending from his chin. No wonder Varus called him 'squid-face'.

"Hello." Ahsoka greeted. Despite their official positions, she tried to sound welcoming and energetic. "My name is Ahsoka Tano Wynn. What's your name?"

The Sith merely raised an eyebrow.

"I realize how this looks. You can sense I am a Jedi, and you are a Sith. You probably are wondering if I plan to interrogate you for information, whether by being overly nice or torture. I plan to do neither. I know pain will only make you more stubborn, more powerful, and to be honest, hurting you is not what I want."

"Then what do you want with me?" The Sith questioned.

"To understand."

The Sith raised his head up fully and looked her dead in the eyes. He briefly scanned her, seemingly confused by this. He stood to his feet and approached the ray shield blocking them. He was incredibly tall, looking straight down at her, his power flared slightly, and she wasn't frightened in the slightest. "What is it you wish to understand?"

"Why you became a Sith?"

He scoffed, turned, and paced. "What a stupid question. There was nothing else to be."

"Ah, but you said 'was', just now. Has this view changed?"

The Sith stopped in midstep. He glared at her and she just smiled innocently.

"In a way." The Sith admitted. He paced a bit further. "The idea that one could become anything else wasn't a possibility until I met… someone." He stopped and looked at her. "Why is this important to you? What point is there in understanding? Are you thinking to convert and assist me?"

"Not at all, no. But I believe, as my former master and husband do, that peace is possible with understanding. I believe you met them? My husband brought you in and my former master is JedI Master Skywalker."

"I met them. Interesting idea of peace. Your husband is more assassin and murderer than peace-keeper, and your Skywalker keeps company with a Sith even darker than most of us… Wait… you're husband is a Sith?"

"Yep."

"And… that works for you?"

Ahsoka smiled. She saw his surprise. Even if it wasn't peace, she could see the possibility of understanding at least was starting to open. The Sith's surprise showed he had never considered it possible, and now saw it was. Even if it was just a small scale of a single family, it had larger ramifications. Because wasn't all social structures at its smallest scale made up of families?

Ahsoka nodded. "It does. Takes a great deal of work, and we spend as much time arguing and working things out as we spend in peace, but we make it work. We have many differences, but we also bring out, I would say, the best in each other."

"Interesting." The Sith turned his head to the side, considering it. "Your husband should be thankful he is not a true Sith, then. He would be killed for heresy. Jedi, in our culture, exist to be killed or enslaved or placed under strict tribute."

"You have Jedi in the Empire?"

"No. The view still exists, though, should any be found. Sith who fall away are treated better. You are barely better than animals to us. Less than that… toys to be used and thrown away."

Ahsoka girmaced. "I see. Is it because of the Hyperspace war? Of the genocide the ancient Jedi did?"

"No, not so much. The anger and hatred for your kind is real, but we view you that way because you choose it."

"Pardon? I don't choose to be your people's victim."

"No, you chose the weaker path. And the weaker always serve the strong." The Sith said. "One is weaker because they choose to, because they would rather waste their time and energy on lesser things than greater things. So their children are weak too, and must overcome the weakness of the father more than themselves alone. You Jedi are fit to be lower than beasts because you see power… and throw it away. You see possibility for change, for the ability to shape the galaxy around you, to secure it, to set it in order, and you throw it aside." The Sith looked down at her. "That is why. The hatred is real, but even in hatred we can respect you if you were strong enough to be worthy of respect. As it is, we do not."


	17. Episode 4 - Beachhead Part 4

**Note: This one will be incredibly short. I skipped a few scenes that were unimportant because I wanted to get to the meat and potatoes of the story. There is a difference between fleshing out a story and making it drag out with unnecessary scenes that act as little more than filler. I realized I had come up with a fair bit of filler, so I skipped it. It wasn't important anyway. Every scene in this chapter I have had in my head going on MONTHS! No, YEARS! I am so happy to get it out. A part of my is unhappy with having this chapter be short, but there are some chapters and scenes so important that adding more scenes to it will only take away from it. And this chapter is nothing but important scenes. I could have just put all of this at the end of the previous chapter, but I want there to be a very different tone from the previous chapter to this one. I also want a different tone from this one to the next. Its very complicated... I want this chapter and its scenes to stand on its own, even if it must be short. The quality of this chapter should be high, though the quantity is small.**

 **I am still pissed The Last Jedi stole my epic finish to this battle. I came up with it first! I just haven't gotten the story to the point of displaying it till now!**

 **Rant over.**

* * *

 **-Scourge/Ahsoka-**

The Sith had a ritual, or a practice rather, if you will, of killing the crippled. Weakness was unacceptable. Granted, some exceptions could be made if the cripple could prove himself to still be of use to the Empire, but failure tended to be final. Babies with diseases were often killed outright, as well as deformities, or any reason really. The mother could think it looks funny and stab it to her heart's content or throw it off the side of a cliff. The old were given supposedly more honor as they were killed off as well, but still the point was that they were useless and were a burden and needed to just die off. Abortion, mercy killings, assisted suicide, honor duels, and more filled their culture as they practiced the simple idea that the elite lived and everything else simply didn't. Understandably this left them with few, if any, population growth and they had to turn to cloning of the strong to keep their population sustained and growing.

And you sure as the Emperor did not breed with lesser species.

So as Scourge was met a second time by Ahsoka Tano, the mate of a supposed Sith, a thought struck him of how… odd their union was. And how special it was that he sensed something within her. It left him in a state of awe. He had not sensed something so… small… like this in his lifetime. But it was not his place to comment.

The Emperor, within his mind, found it highly interesting as well, but otherwise said nothing. The Emperor was content to watch from the back of Scourge's mind.

"I am curious as to where your husband stands on this. On you talking with me." Scourge inquired.

"He wouldn't mind. He knows I'm prone to do what I want." Ahsoka smiled, leaning back in her chair. "He knows, certainly. I told him. But he didn't expect me to ask for permission, so I did not ask."

Scourge raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Such a thing is familiar, yet different. The Sith do not… permanently mate as you, but carry this sense of independence. I can respect that."

Ahsoka smiled and nodded, taking the compliment. She tilted her head to the side curiously, "You don't marry?"

Scourge shook his head. "No. Permanent ties is a weakness. If I were to tie myself to one woman, as closely as you have described, she would exploit it."

"I don't understand, then how do you form families?"

Scourge stared at her a moment. "Again, a foreign concept. I understand what you say from what Revan told me, but the closest thing you describe in my people is a tutor or master. As a man, I raise a boy. The woman raise the girls. My own boy, my heir, was a clone of mine. I have raised a few others, a mixture of clones and male offspring handed to me from brief unions with women. But it would be illegal to allow the boys to be raised by a woman, or for me to participate in the raising of a girl… Or, rather, to be more accurate, my servants do the raising. I am more of a Lord in that I oversee it when I am home."

"Sounds distant."

"And your version sounds clingy and suffocating." Scourge countered. "I understand, it is odd to hear. It is different. But it is how I was raised. It is how my master was raised. It is how we have been raised… for as long as the Emperor."

"It is odd." Ahsoka shrugged. "Perhaps, one day, as our cultures exchange the understanding of these systems, we can teach each other the benefits and problems associated with them, and both change for it."

"You think our way of life should change?" Scourge questioned.

"If we were to push everything I just said to right now, yes, I do think there are problems with what you just described in the family unit as you have it, but pushing it would only cause problems and strife, when what I mean is teaching, exchanging of ideas, of summaries of how systems have worked in the past. Not all species function the same way anyway."

Scourge scoffed. "I can accept an exchange of ideas, but you will find the Emperor not so… understanding."

"Then it is a good thing we aim to remove him."

"Good luck with that. You don't know what it is you fight."

"And you do?" Ahsoka asked. "If you want to tell us valuable information, I am sure they would love to hear it, but that isn't why I am here."

"Even if I did, it wouldn't work. I cannot resist his will."

Ahsoka nodded. "I see." She looked at him heavily. "Is that because of the Force Bond you hold with him?"

The Emperor, in the back of his mind, hissed slightly. Scourge stilled, shocked. It was a subtle thing, but she had caught it. "You know of it?"

Ahsoka smiled proudly. "My husband is a Miraluka. Taught me a thing or two. I can sense, at the very least, you have a Force Bond with someone, I'm guessing the Emperor, but the Bond is much stronger than even my own… and that says something, as what I have is supposedly one of the strongest. Just how deep does your Bond go with him?"

Scourge couldn't say a word. A part of him wanted to, but the Emperor insured even if he wanted to, he couldn't. His lips were sealed shut. Scourge simply turned his head.

"Ah, well. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine." Ahsoka leaned back again. "Varus will probably be able to do something about it when he gets back."

"He is departed?"

Ahsoka smiled knowingly. "Classified."

 **-Sith Fleet-**

A beam pulled in cluster of escape pods and wreckage into the hanger of the Sith assault vessel. A brief scan showed no life forms. A number of Sith troopers stepped forward and started working at it, sorting through the clutter. One of them found the button to open the escape pod, and it opened… to reveal a wall of blackness.

"What the…" He muttered.

"You see something?" His comrades questioned.

The three of them gazed into the wall of black liquid, mezmerized.

"Okay, that's weird." One whispered.

"You ever seen liquid sit like a wall?"

"Nope."

The first one reached a hand forward, and poked it. Ripples cascaded along its surface. He pulled back, and a string of the liquid followed his finger. "Ew." He gagged. He shook his hand. "Get it off!"

The others laughed. "You had to go and poke it didn't you!"

"Well, it looked interesting! I mean-" His arm straightened as the string pulled at his hand. For a brief moment, they stood stunned, unsure what to make of it. The next moment he was pulled into the liquid up to his shoulder. "WHAT THE-!" And then he was sucked in entirely and disappeared.

The others lifted their guns and fired into the wall of black liquid. They stepped back, suddenly fearful as they fired. But nothing happened. The wall was unaffected by the blaster fire. They looked at each other, turned, and ran. However, it was too late. Tendrils exploded out of the escape pod, grabbed them, and pulled them screaming into it and swallowed them whole.

Alarms went off as the Sith saw what happened. An inner cannon released from the ceiling and aimed at the wreckage, but the tendrils reached out, grabbed it, and wrenched it out of the ceiling by its wires and metal. Explosives struck the escape pod, and in the midst of the wreckage was a giant ball of blackness.

The blackness disappeared to reveal two men. The first was hunched backwards, and lurched around like a puppet on a string. He took his own neck and snapped it, as if it was out of place.

"Oh, that's so much better." Nihilus sighed in relief. "New bodies always taste the freshest."

The second man, stood next to him, with lightning cascading off of his body in waves. A pair of lightsabers were in his hands. The two men stood back to back. Waves upon waves of Sith lined up against them, a few lesser tanks were getting manned, and more turrets came out of the walls. The alarm alerted the rest of the ship and doors opened to allow more Sith in, ranging from the True Sith wielding the Force and lightsabers, to Sith troopers with blasters primarily along with a few carrying snipers and explosive weaponry.

"Just like old times, eh, apprentice?" Nihilus smirked.

"Old times…" Varus agreed, with less pleasure. "I think your perspective of old times is more pleasant than mine."

"Be that as it may, shall we begin?"

 **-Varus-**

Despite my misgivings, it does start to feel like old times. How many battles have I been in against overwhelming odds, moving endlessly trying to stay afloat against the tides pulling me down? How many have I killed? How many times have I felt the rush of my blood pumping in my veins, of my heartbeat in my ears, of the energy of electricity coursing across my skin, of feeling my fists and claws on impact, tearing, stabbing, blocking. The cries of death. Blaster fire all around me, the Force spinning around me like a tidal wave I ride on and churn to my own will conflicting with the energies of those around me, grabbing them and spinning their own waves into my gigantic one. The sense of the Void within me, around me, and behind me, sucking and draining at all things and just as dangerous as the enemy I dispact as I feed them to it. Not only within myself, but to Nihilus who ravishes those around the battlefield until his darkness is traded with my electricity. Our combined power incomparible to anything until our sheer presence together creates a tornado of darkness and plasma.

This is something I have felt many a time and I fall into its deadly song with ease.

I pull a ramp down, sending its occupants into a free fall to the floor. I jump over a tank, spin, and with an extended blade of lightning, cleave it in half before I land on my feet and dash into a Sith. The Sith also dashes at me, but he expects me to fight him head on. I evade to the side just before his blow comes, and I send him flying into jagged metal.

I sense Nihilus flow past me and collide into a group of Sith, consuming them, and then moving on to the next group while I make short work of a commando with a heavy machine gun.

"You can feel it, can't you?" Nihilus whispers. "The rush. The power. You remember the taste of their souls on your lips, don't you?"

I ignore him.

"As a void-smith, you grow stronger with each life you take. Can you taste it? The power? The flicker of life as you consume it?"

"What of it?" I ask. I grab the plasma of a Sith's blade, catching him by surprise, and weave it to my own will and stab him with the blade of his own lightsaber.

"It is something you should be intimately familiar with. Not like you have lost touch in the several years since the Jedi enslaved you."

Something in the back of my mind rings bells, but I can't say what, so I ignore the feeling and press forward. Just as Nihilus said, the feeling is familiar. I have always become stronger the more I kill. It is an innate part of being a void user. Like Nihilus, I can taste them. I do not like it, I never have, and so I learned to ignore it.

"Life tends to be so… fragile. Like a flickering flame they go out with barely a snuff. Men, women… newborns most of all."

"If you have something to say, just say it." I rebuttal. I look for another target, and oddly enough the hanger has mostly been cleared. The dead lay everywhere and fire fills the room. There are more coming, but they are still a way off.

"Surely, you are not so ignorant?" Nihilus asks. "Unless… you truly think you are past it. Galen, despite your efforts, you are mine. Your soul is etched with my writing. You are a void smith fashioned by my own hand. Have you not noticed that you become stronger around the strong? Have you not noticed the subtle pull you have on them? How you drain their life to feed yourself?'

I growl. I point my lightsaber at Nihilus' face. His every word annoys me now. I'm past putting up with him for today. "If you have nothing proper to say, then be quiet. And for your information, we know about that. Tree-Hugger… Ahsoka… they know I am a void-smith. They know that forming bonds with me saps at them, but we also made sure it is so small it isn't dangerous. At most, Ahsoka might lose a year of her total life span. We came to terms with that long ago, and decided we could live with that. And Tree-Hugger, no amount of draining will ever have an effect on him for some odd reason. So your point is without purpose, if you think you can taunt me…"

"Yes… they are strong." Nihilus looks down on me. "Too strong to truly be affected by your residual void aura… but then what of children? Are children strong in the Force?"

Silence. Silence so still and perfect, you could hear my breathing. The crackling of fire. The stomping of distant Sith troopers entrenching themselves against us. My own heartbeat… my heartbeat racing in my chest as his words catch up to me.

"Wha-what?" I ask, weakly. The alarms in my head go off loudly and I sense all kinds of red-flags.

Nihilus presses, "Have you never wondered why I never bothered breaking out of that prison until now? That answer is because there was no need. I am always with you, Galen. Your very soul is my heir, consuming and eating all things you touch. On a much smaller scale, sure, but I knew this bond between us would never be broken. In fact, the harder I knew you would try to break away from me, to create a life for yourself, a family, the stronger that bond would be. Because that one thing I insured you can never have is a family."

My eyes stare at him wide, sweat breaks out on my skin, and my lightsaber shakes madly in my hand. Information floods my consciousness faster than I can process, and all I can hear is his words echoing in my mind.

Nihilus smiles mercilessly, "Tell me, Galen Marek, Starkiller, heir to the Void-Smith, what is it like to taste the soul of a child freshly conceived? What is it like to taste the life of your very own heir? It is a taste I look very much to testing soon."

It is at this moment that a couple of Sith decide to take the initiative and rush at us. With barely a movement, I cut them down.

They were in my way… in the way between me… and Nihilus.

I look up at Nihilus, and he smiles. I know why he is smiling. The tears running down my face, the redness of my Sith eyes, the pure hatred etched into every muscle of my face. Nihilus won. I love Ahsoka. I love the children we tried to have. But Nihilus is right. The more I loved them, the stronger his influence would have on me. I was a fool. There was no escaping Nihilus, there was no avoiding him, there was no being content with him being in prison. There was only one thing to do…

"I'm going to stab the shit outta you." I declare.

"I'd be terribly disappointed if you didn't." Nihilus smiled, knowing he had won.

 **-Skywalker-**

Anakin sighed. "I don't like this."

"I don't like it either, but have some faith." Ahsoka said, a happy bounce in her step. "Varus is strong."

"I don't doubt that. But- okay why are you so happy?"

"I've made progress with the Sith prisoner." Ahsoka smiled. Skywalker smiled as well, proud of her. "We've been sharing ideals, cultures, and knowledge. I hope he lives to return it to his people."

"I'm glad! Good job, 'hsoka!" He patted her on the shoulder. "You're doing better than I, it seems in getting in touch with them. It's a small step, but also a big one. The first one to have a good talk with this enemy. You should be proud, I sure am… now it seems I have some catching up to do."

Ahsoka smiled and turned her eyes towards the distant Sith fleet. "You're right, it's a big step. Hopefully it will produce some good. But for now… trust in Varus."

"Can you sense his thoughts?"

"No. We lessened our marriage bond to allow him to enter the fleet unnoticed with Nihilus. Just because we use the bond, doesn't mean we can't live without it. If that was all there was to our relationship, I wouldn't have bothered."

"Well said." Skywalker said. He looked to HK-47. "Are you ready?"

"Confirmation: I am ready." The droid replied.

The plan so far as Skywalker was told was simple. To wait for Nihilus to give a signal, to tell HK-47/Forge to play his part, and then take advantage of Nihilus' handiwork. Now if only he could know what the signal wa-

Ahsoka suddenly broke out in screams and fell to her knees, clutching her head. "'Hsoka!" Skywalker exclaimed, panicking. "Are you okay?!"

"No-! No! No! Varus!" Ahsoka yelled. She clutched her ears shut. "STOP SCREAMING! It's okay! Varus!"

"Oh dear, is she broken?" HK-47 inquired.

"I…" Anakin stared, feeling fear come over him. The same moment Ahsoka had fallen to her knees, screaming, he sensed a powerful Sith presence appear on the ship Nihilus and Varus had gone to. The worst part of it was, he recognized that presence. Varus was unleashing, without restraint, his full power in all of its darkness.

Moments later, there was an explosion on the ship Varus was on.

"Ahsoka! What is happening!" Anakin fell to his knees by her side and held her. She broke out in sobs.

"Varus… he's in so much pain. He's screaming. And I can't… I can't get through to him. It's worse… its far worse than when he was laying on that bed dying. This is worse than when he saw Bastilla Shen die and Revan's memories overcame him!"

"Ahsoka, Varus is strong."

"No! That's the problem! His own strength and love is feeding endless guilt! Stop screaming!"

'The very fact they are lovers guarantees me victory.' Skywalker remembered him saying.

"Oh no…" Skywalker whispered. He knew just how far guilt would motivate Varus, and how much he had come to learn to love. If all those things were being used… there was no telling how strong Varus' pain was. "It'll be fine. Once he calms down enough to talk, then you can help him through this, but right now we need to get to him… we both knew Nihilus would try something."

"Assumption: This is the signal?" HK-47 inquired. "Explosions and fire and screaming and pain are valid signals." Anakin shot the droid a death glare. The droid made no visible response, but seemed to accept it all the same.

As Anakin watched, the Forge coughed up a number of ships. Nihilus, when this whole fight began, had told the droid to produce a number of ships. HK produced a number of dreadnaught class vessels.

"What good are the ships to us… They are not manned by any armies and are almost entirely solid… We can't use them for anything."

HK did not respond at first. It seemed its focus was on manning the ships, for as Anakin watched, the ships Nihilus wanted constructed disappeared into Warp.

"What the?" Anakin asked. "Have you lost your mind?! What good are ships not involved in a battle! Aren't these ships going to reshape the war?"

A minute passed. HK gave no answer. Anakin returned his attention to Ahsoka and helped her to her feet. What she felt in the Force and in her bond was leaving her shaking, but the worst of it was over for the moment. Her attention was solidly on the distant Sith fleet, as if looking for Varus with her own eyes.

"Anything?" Anakin asked.

"Pain. Anger. Guilt. I can't get through to him with him like this…" Ahsoka sniffed. She rubbed tears of pain and empathy from her eyes. "I saw images of horror and death in his mind before he threw me out. I swear… I'm going to hit him for this."

"Let's get him to calm down, first." Anakin suggested. "Damnit… I knew I should have gone with them. We both knew Nihilus knows what buttons to press. It seems we overestimated Varus' growth."

"No." Ahsoka firmly counter. "Varus has grown. Do not doubt that. We underestimated Nihilus' influence."

"Sir!" An officer exclaimed, "The ships are turning around!" Anakin looked at him confused.

"What ships?"

"The ships that just went into Warp."

"Great, so you're bringing them back. Care to actually participate in the battle now, droid?" Anakin looked to HK-47.

The droid said, "I am participating. To answer your question, Jedi… allow my a question of my own. Have you ever been hit with a cannonball going… at the speed of Warp?"

"No… I-" Anakin stopped. His eyes widened in horror. A brief glance on the officer's panel showed the ships were not slowing down. "EVERYONE! GET COVER!"

The next moment, the solar system came to a still as three dreadnaught ships going at Warp speed did not slow down, but rammed through the entire Sith fleet in a millionth of a second. Anakin would later remember recalling the sight, the instant, and thinking of how clean the cut was as the Sith ships were torn apart by the hundreds. And then of seeing them pulverise and explode in shrapnel in every conceivable direction. And then seeing the planet beneath them burst into flame across its entire surface as the air was ignited.

HK-47 cackled gleefully.


	18. Episode 5 - Hail to the King Part 1

**Episode 5 - Hail to the King Part 1**

* * *

 **-Mandalore-**

When Mandalore wanted results, he expected a battle. He expected conflict. Heck, with the Sith Lord in charge, he expected magic. He did not expect Nihilus to pull out a weapon of such simplicity, such destructive might, and such horrible potential that entire laws, safeguards, and engineering protocols would be written and named after him.

Mandalore didn't know whether to respect the results or disgusted. Considering they were facing the greatest Force user in the galaxy, with an ancient Empire aimed at the heart of the galaxy, Mandalore could appreciate the sentiment put behind the attack. Some people just take more effort to bring down and Nihilus wasn't one to hold back.

"I swear, if Valkorian lives through that attack, I'll shave every hair from my head and eat it."

"I'll take that bet."

Mandalore looked up from the hologram depicting the battle to see the door close, and an unexpected visitor enter his office. He smiled behind his mask to see the mask of none other than- "Revan."

Revan walked in with a light limp. His posture spoke of pain, but after a moment, he strengthened himself to walk tall and proud.

"You sound happy to see me. You aren't getting soft, are you, Canderous?"

"Only pleased with the opportunity to tell more stories and boast. No one lacks the braincells to just sit and listen quite like you." Mandalore rose, left his desk, and extended his hand. Revan took his arm in greeting. "And it's Mandalore now. You of all people should know that. Canderous died when I put on the mask."

"Right, of course. I don't mean to imply otherwise." Revan nodded. Mandalore could hear the pleasure in Revan's voice. Truly, it had been a long time.

Mandalore gripped his arm a bit tighter. Something he found bothered him greatly. "You have become a great deal thinner over the years... I could break your arm like a twig."

Revan pulled back self-conciously. Mandalore gulped. It wasn't just Revan's arm that was thinner. His torso was thin, his legs were barely thick enough to hold him up, and though Revan's voice was well known to him, it wasn't as deep or strong as it once was. Revan had aged, but more than that, he had suffered.

"Yes, well... My host hasn't been the most welcoming." Revan explained.

"How bad is it?"

At first Revan did not answer. He looked down, thoughtfully, before gesturing to a nearby chair. With the Force, the seat lifted into the air and rested behind him. He sat down heavily on it and sighed. "All things considered, not so bad. After I regained my memories I returned to fight Valkorian, sabatage, and do what I can to slow him down and learn of his endgame. I was successful at first. I managed to spark a rebellion that has grown since, but is still little more than an insect to him. I got as far as Valkorian himself... and you would be proud to hear I surprised him."

"Oh? The mysterious Revan caught the oh so omnipotent Emperor with his pants down?"

Revan nodded. "Gave him a nice scar across the face to remember me by."

Mandalore chuckled. "Good."

"And then... I lost. Again. I expected he would kill me, or do what he did last time and give me amnesia while making me believe I was a Sith Lord."

"Wait wait... So while you were working for the Jedi... they gave you amnesia ontop of the amnesia the Emperor gave you?"

Revan nodded. Mandalore whistled.

"Damn. Its a wonder you're sane."

"I do question it at times." Revan agreed. "But as I was saying. I lost. And... then nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. No punishments. No imprisoning. I'm alive. I won't saying I'm completely free, as I don't go where I want of my own will. Rather... he was impressed. He gave me a choice. Become one of his champions and he will turn a blind eye to my rebellion, or die and he destroys everything I have worked to build."

"And naturally, you went for the former." Mandalore tapped the desk in thought. "This doesn't sit right with me. Is he stupid? I am grateful you are alive, but you are spared on nothing more than a whim."

"He is an enigma, I will give you that. One moment he is thinking on a seemingly higher plane, a higher level, and then the next he is filled with lowly self-interest."

"Hm." Mandalore hummed. "You spoke of an endgame. Did you happen to learn of it, by chance?"

Revan did not react at first. He hesitated, uncertain. "A hint of one, I believe. No proof, but enough clues to offer a possibility. I believe he has a Star Forge of his own."

"I expected as much." Mandalore immediately answered.

Revan flinched. "You..."

"We expected it to be a possibility. For a man as cautious as he has been for the last thousand years, to suddenly give up a Star Forge to you, a pawn? No one gives up an ace without a spare up the sleeve. You will be pleased to know we can counter this ace easily. HK finished its programming into the final stages. It implanted itself into your Star Forge and took over."

"Did it now." Mandalore could hear the pleasure and relief in his voice. "Excellent."

Their matters went on for some time before Mandalore decided he had spent too much of his old friends time on business. There were others, such as his daughter, who would want to finally meet him. Revan was not shaken by the word Bastilla was dead, but expressed how he knew and had mourned already.

* * *

 **-Scourge-**

A shockwave rippled through the ship, sending Scourge tumbling to the floor. The sudden shaking startled him, but more than that, what he sensed shook him.

To sense an abundance of life, entire armies, a planet that held life, not thriving as a forest but still with a sizable military and scientific community, disappear is no small thing. Most disappeared without a trace, no feeling of conflict just simply erased, and others screamed in horrible agony. Though Scourge did not know what the pain was, he no less felt it in the Force as the very air inside their lungs burst into flame with the rest of the atmosphere. Like them, he felt it. Most of all, he felt it not through a passive ripple in the Force, but the active bond he had with Valkorian.

Valkorian took the full blunt of the inferno, and Scourge felt it just as much as he did. Scourge writhed on the ground as an unseen fire tore at his flesh, his throat, and his lungs. The snake that encircled his heart squeezed in its own pain and for a time Scourge was convinced death had finally come for him. Like him, every soul Valkorian held in his hand collapsed in agony and screamed. Every heart in his grasp was tightened, and some did die, but not all. After what felt like a true eternity, Scourge felt the snake around his heart loosen and relax cautiously. The pain that Valkorian broadcasted disappeared, and after a moment, Scourge heard a voice in the voice. It was a voice heard not only by himself, but all souls in the system.

 **Well done. I actually felt that one.**

Scourge raised himself up. His muscles spasmed and he groaned painfully. He looked towards the planet, and he felt despair lick at him. Everything... everything he had built, was destroyed. All that was left for them was death and void.

* * *

 **-Anakin-**

 **Well done. I actually felt that one.**

Anakin opened his eyes. He didn't recognize the voice, but it wasn't a stretch to know who it belonged to. Anakin saw the ceiling and the cold metal of the vessel under his bruised back. He rolled over, put a hand to the floor, and pushed himself up to his knees.

"Who's not dead... sound off." Anakin said.

He was met with a chorus of groans.

All around him the soldiers were unconscious or recovering. Thankfully there wasn't fire or sparks or blaring alarms, but Anakin didn't doubt there was some level of damage. The ship had shaken. Up ahead, Anakin saw Ahsoka on the ground. He crawled his way to her and cradled her head.

"Snips... Snips." He patted her cheek, then shook her. She stirred. "Oh, thank the Force! How many fingers am I holding up?" He opened his metal hand to show all possible appendages, which was substantially more than five.

"As soon as all three of you stop spinning... I can tell you." Ahsoka replied. She pushed his moving hand out of her face. She winced and tried to sit up, only to collapse back into Anakin's hands. "Anyone else hear a creep in your head?"

"Good to know it wasn't just me." Someone said.

"You most likely have internal bleeding..." Anakin said. "Which is fine... that's where the blood belongs."

"I am so glad that's not a certified diagnoses." Ahsoka snipped.

The door opened and a number of soldiers rushed in and checked in on everyone. One or two were found to need a doctor for minor concussions, but beyond that it was just bruises and minor fractures.

The doctor cleared Ahsoka and Anakin, and moved on.

"What hit us?" Ahsoka wondered. She stood and looked out. She gasped. The entire system was a giant 'asteroid belt' of ship pieces varying from the size of grains of sand to massive chunks the size of a city. In the midst of it all was a planet reduced to a barren volcanic wasteland with discernible pieces of ships sticking out of its surface like a graveyard.

"You want the short version or the long one?" Anakin replied. He made his way to a panel and accessed the intranet for the fleet. The communications channel was filled with reports of damage. "Thankfully it looks like the large ships in front absorbed most of the projectiles and impact, shielding the rest of the fleet. Our shields were strong enough to hold the fraction of what hit us... Very few, if any casualities, but massive injuries varying from bruising to broken bones to concussions... a broken spine..."

Anakin sighed. He turned away from the panel. "As for what hit us... imagine taking the galaxies biggest fragmentation grenade and shooting it with another fragmentation grenade going at the speed of 'OH SHIT' inside a pressure cooker while we are standing next to it and you got what hit us."

Ahsoka walked to the window and gazed out. All around them, the fleet was moving forward. On the comms Anakin could hear orders to push in and establish a beachhead. While recovery was well on its way, the casualities were being found to not be near what was expected.

"Sounds like we got off lucky. All things considered... there isn't much of a Sith fleet left." Ahsoka said. Her voice trembled and she clenched her fists together tightly. Anakin could guess what was passing through her mind. Varus was in the middle of all that.

Varus was as skilled and powerful in the Force as the best of them, but Anakin didn't know if he could survive having billions of microscopic bullets flying at him at the speed of light, entire ships being shoved forcefully into each other, torn apart, and just the sheer instantaneous chaos of destruction that occurred. Varus was good. He wasn't unlimited.

Anakin tried to sense Varus in the Force, but could not. He sensed nothing, nothing but Valkorian. Valkorian's presence overshadowed the entire planet like a blanket through which he could feel nothing... and there was little to no life left around it within the Sith fleet.

Anakin took her by the arm and drew her attention to himself. "We will find him, Snips. Don't give up. I won't rest until I find him."

"Don't." Ahsoka shook her head. She smiled sadly. "You have a job to do. Varus is a grown man. You can't continue to take responsibility for him. I'll find-"

"Screw that! You two are family. If we don't stick together, who will?" Anakin replied heatedly. "I am here to stop Valkorian, but if I lose you and Varus... Victory will lose its meaning. So I'll stop Valkorian, but first... I'm making sure you two are safe."

Ahsoka blinked. Tears welled up in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed. She continued to shake. She didn't know what she would do without Varus or Anakin. They were a family, in multiple ways. "Thanks. But how are you going to find him? I can't sense him at all."

"Simple. Where Nihilus goes, Varus will be sure to follow."

The dreadnaught they were on ignited its engines and headed toward the planet as well with the rest of the ships. The Sith fleet limped away on its last legs, and the beachhead would soon be established.

Ahsoka left the bridge in search for Cahj, and found her among the wounded. She had a small fracture on her wrist from where she fell, but it was nothing the doctors couldn't fix.

"Hey, Cahj." Ahsoka greeted.

The younger girl gave her a glance before returning her attention to flexing her fingers with the strap around her wrist. The girl smiled in greeting, but was otherwise pensive. Ahsoka sat by her. "I just wanted you to know I will be taking over as your master for a time. Varus hasn't returned from his mission and we will be establishing our beachhead on the planet soon."

"Why didn't he take me with him?" Cahj asked. "We went on all the missions together up till now. Even the scary ones or the stealthy ones."

'Ah, this was why the girl was pensive.' Ahsoka thought.

Ahsoka took the girl's hand gently and massaged it, "Varus did not take you with him because this was a special case. There are some people he would never let you near, and his partner on this mission was one of them."

"Who in the galaxy would that be?"

"Perhaps the one man he has ever truly feared." Ahsoka explained vaguely. The girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"He fears someone?"

"Very much so. Varus is full of fears. His greatest fears is losing us. He already lost so much, and continues to fear losing more. As you can imagine, putting the one man he is the most afraid of with the people he is afraid of losing don't go together well."

Cahj nodded. She looked down thoughtfully.

Ahsoka gave her a moment to process that before standing up and saying more firmly, "So get yourself checked up, and come see me. I need to have a brief spar with you to know what you can do, what Varus has taught you. Not only to know what next step I can help you with in his absence, but so I can understand what we, as a team, can handle. If am going to take responsibility for you in the middle of a warzone, I need us both to take this seriously. We will avoid as much conflict as possible, but there are no promises in war. Understood?"

Cahj nodded more firmly. The pensiveness was gone and she was herself again, "Ye-up!"

Ahsoka snorted. A proper soldier would say 'yes, maam.' It did not surprise her that Varus' apprentice would not exactly conform.

* * *

 **-Varus-**

 **Well done. I actually felt that one.**

I snap my eyes open. Heat. All around me is heat and fire. The metal above my head is red and searing to the touch. The metal beneath my skin burns. I lift myself up and stand. I feel something tug at me. Reaching behind me, I feel a shard of metal in my back. With a single lightning claw I cut it. Standing finally, I pull it out of me and with the same claw stab my own own so the blood clots.

It hurt, a lot, but I did not scream. I don't recall making a sound even if I had. I feel nothing. I'm entirely numb. I know why, though it don't make it any better. If I were to allow myself to feel anything, I would crack. If I were to think, I would fall and never rise again. There is too much on my shoulders, my heart bleeds openly and it is raw will that holds it together.

For so long I hoped to be free of Nihilus, but time has proven that so long as he lives his hold will continue to be on me, on my family, and on the future of myself and everyone I care about. If this was just about me, I would have allowed death to swallow me, but this is not about me. I have a future, but that future is gone so long as he lives. I tried it their way. Now let's do this my way.

I kick open a panel and crawl out of the hole. The lights are dead and bodies litter the ground. A door panel opens and closes, broken, never quite managing to either open or close before creaking, stuttering, and stopping. Through a window I see stars, volcanic explosions across the surface, and ash.

Gotta give him credit. He doesn't do things half-assed.

The window is cracked. There is the faintest whistle of air blowing through it. Good to know there is breathable air to welcome me.

I walk through the halls of the fallen ship and find the hanger bay. Most of what was here did not survived reentry, as most everything wasn't strapped down. But along the walls are still fighters and tanks stilled nailed down, so to speak. I'm not big into flying, and tanks are too slow for my purpose. It takes a little investigation, but among the vessels are a set of ground-speeders. I have to pry the panel off to gain entry, and cut away at the metal holding it in place, but I pull a speeder up with the Force, place it down, and kick it into speed.

The air is thin and smells burnt, smoke rises from the ground, the water is gone, and volcanic eruptions have burst out of the ground from deep beneath the surface.

Now where would Nihilus hide? He wasn't present when I woke, so he wants me to give him a chase, to hunt him. His normal Void presence is gone amidst the thick Dark Side presence filling and surrounding the planet.

I stop the speeder at the top of a broken crevice. Ship debris is the new forest of the planet as the remains of the Sith fleet fell to the surface and impaled themselves into the ground. Still they continue to fall, and I look up to check that nothing will fall on me. In the distant orbit the Mandalorian assault fleet enters lower orbit seeking to create beachheads dotting the land, and what remains of the scattered Sith fleet tries to zealously contest them with no regards for their own lives. Before my eyes a Sith fighter shoots one of my allies before crashing purposefully into a transport, taking them with him. However it is a losing battle for the Sith. The Sith are outnumbered dozens of times over since Nihilus' little plan came to be complete. Transports drop tanks and soldiers, larger transports drop entire buildings or supplies to establish a base of operations, fighter squadrons fill the air and scatter in every direction searching for prey, and in the midst of all of it five dreadnaughts dare to enter the lowest orbit. Anymore than five dreadnaughts and they might disrupt the gravity of the planet. As it is they are already causing the loose ground and dust to rise in their gravity well. Among them, the Ravager enters lower orbit directly above me, but doesn't lower. I sense the Ravager reach out, searching for me. Anakin and Ahsoka are on my ship, as well as Koj and Cahj.

Ahsoka...

Flashes of death, of her pain as our children repeatedly died at conception, her growing belief she was barren, flood through my eyes. I caused it... I caused it all. A knife impales itself in my heart and its thorny vines enter my veins, but just as quickly I push away the guilt, the feelings, the thoughts and memories. It will destroy me if I let it, and now is not the time for it.

I ignite my speeder into life and speed away.

They have their mission. I have mine.

* * *

 **-Anakin-**

"I need an artillery placement on that hill! Scan for traps or hidden places where they might be hiding!" A captain commanded. More orders were given to secure the immediate landing zone around the Ravager. Its larger guns were shut off and its sub-guns were activated. (Who would want to fire a nuke laser in point-blank range?) Scouts on speeders and all-terrain tanks spread out in every direction. Drones sped into the sky scanning for traps and signs of life.

In the midst of soldiers marching out, fighters ascending, and tanks rolling, Anakin stepped out onto the surface of the planet. His boots made contact with the burned ground and his nerves shuddered. The Dark Side filled the land down to the soil. Death and destruction was the only constant this planet had ever known, but there was something deeper... something vile that called out to him. A place that to him felt like a whirlpool of life and death ending in nothingness and void. It was a great node of the Force, but it felt... wrong.

Anakin recoiled and stepped back onto the ramp. He shook his head and his nerves. Behind him, Obi-Wan landed a fighter in the hanger and approached.

"This place is sick." Anakin commented.

"Anyone can sense that, even the clones. They whisper this place is haunted. You ain't scared of no ghosts, are you, Ani?"

"Not with you around. One glance of your ugly mug will make them scream." Anakin returned easily.

Obi-Wan stepped up beside him. Anakin's attention lay in the distance. Anakin said, "He's here. The Emperor. I can sense him. I cannot tell where, but he is. So are many other Sith. Nihilus... Varus." Obi-Wan extended his hand and grasped Anakin's shoulder in comfort. Anakin shuddered, "I'm thankful he survived. We were worried. If Varus had been caught up in the middle of all that when HK... it would have destroyed 'hsoka."

"And it would have almost destroyed you." Obi added, knowingly. "But he survived."

"My best guess is Nihilus helped make sure of that. The Sith Lord won't even allow death to take his apprentice."

"We can be sure to thank him while sending him back to the prison he belongs in. For now, one Sith Lord hunter to another, which one are we going after?"

Anakin looked to him questioningly, "We?"

"You really didn't think I came all this way from another battalion just to see your scarred face did you?" Obi-Wan grinned. "Your face isn't that pretty."

Anakin smiled a bit, his mood growing a little less dim, but he couldn't pretend to be cheery. There were too many heavy things on his mind, too many personal matters; but it was a great comfort that Obi-Wan would help him.

"Mandalore may want us to stay back and help with leadership, but screw it. We got some Sith Lords to hunt. First we find Varus, then retrieve Nihilus, then beat down anyone who gets between us and the Emperor."

"Dead or alive?"

"Yes."

The two of them returned to the dreadnaught, notified a captain they were leaving (to which the soldier was very vocal about his displeasure for), sent a comm to Ahsoka that they would leave and why, and left in a fighter with room for a few men.

The men took turns with the flight controls as they looked out onto the land and reached out with their senses. Everywhere they flew was barren and dead. The remains of the Sith fleet fell to the surface creating a planet-wide forest of ruins and metal, at times so large they had to fly inside of the larger ruins of the dreadnaughts and at times ascend high to scale over. Lava exploded from volcanos, spewing smoke and dirt into the air, and lava flowed from the ground where the metal ruins pierced deep into the crust. The ground was barren, dead, with a reddish or black color, and as hard as black glass in some places. There was not a single sign of life visible. No one could be found but fallen bodies and skeletons that somehow made it through atmospheric entry or the atmospheric burn without being reduced to ashes. Not one skeleton or body was that of an animal or plant or insect though. There were no birds. The planet was entirely devoid of life, yet it felt full because of the Emperor's planet-wide presence.

"How are we ever going to find them?" Obi-Wan murmured as they flew through the ruins of a Sith ship comparable to a Star Destroyer. "There are a seemingly infinite number of places to hide."

"We will, because we must." Anakin replied firmly.

He looked out with intense, focused eyes and a grit jaw. He glanced in every hole they flew by and he extended his senses in every direction, but no matter how far he probed, all he sensed was hot, lifeless, immobile metal with the shadow of the Sith over it. It was aggravating. The hours passed and each breath wore on his nerves. Varus was keeping himself supressed, Nihilus had an unusual presence that made it hard to detect most of the time, and the Emperor filled the system so fully that he was impossible to pinpoint.

It was like trying to look for three black needles in a black haystack in the middle of the night with no illumination. Where one needle was purposefully hiding, the second was actually a plastic straw, and the third was the haystack itself.

They came across other squadrons in their search. Quick communication checkups showed no other squadron had found life either.

"Do you think any have joined up with the Sith beachhead?" Obi-Wan asked.

Their search had gone far and wide, while the Sith were establishing a beachhead just as much as the Mandalorians were on this lifeless world. Thus far they had avoided the Sith fleet, knowing the ones they searched for would not be among the Sith fleet that had remained in the higher orbits.

"Possibly, but I don't think so." Anakin mused. "Varus would never join with the Sith Empire and the Emperor is too busy playing hide-and-seek to make it so obvious."

"And Nihilus?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"Just because I was joined with him briefly and in the loosest meaning of the phrase, doesn't mean I understand him."

"Better than most, still. He is entirely alien to me. Hey, look at that."

Anakin looked out where Obi-Wan pointed. Before them was an ancient ruins. Unlike the metal ruins of the ships that fell, this ruins was entirely stone, square around a central building which emitted a shield around the ruins, and in the middle of it was a shimmering light... Around that light they sensed life, and through the light they sensed... somewhere else. Like it was a window or a doorway.

Or a portal.

"We have to report this." Obi-Wan said.

"You send a message, but we aren't returning until we bring back Varus or Nihilus-" Anakin stopped.

Concerned, Obi-Wan leaned around the seat and looked at him. "Ani?"

Anakin was staring ahead, frozen. Then just as suddenly as he stopped, he snarled, pulled back on the shift, spun the fighter up and around, hit the engines as hard as they could go, and bellowed, "SON OF A BITCH!"

Obi-Wan struggled to not be crushed against the windows or controls as Anakin showed off his skill in flight at a speed many times faster than most would dare.

"Anakin! Slow down!"

"What is the one place that Sith bastard would be?!" Anakin hissed. "Nihilus follows rules and agreements obsessively! He desires most of all for Varus to hunt him as a Sith and what is the one place he knows Varus would find him!? What is the one place he knows Varus cannot touch him!? What is the one place where Nihilus is safe in this war!?" Anakin kicked the the fighter into a faster gear, forcing Obi-Wan to be pushed back into his seat. "Back at the Ravager with us!"

"I dont understand!" Obi-Wan yelled, struggling to be heard. "Varus and Nihilus only went on a mission. Why would Varus return to his hunt!"

"I don't know, but Ahsoka and I know what we felt. Varus' guilt, pain, and hatred has returned in full force... I dearly hope I am wrong in saying this, but I fear Starkiller has returned, and I suspect I know why. If I am right... this will be very ugly."

"It can't be that bad. Surely not, your former Padawan has grown into a strong young man and a good husband. Both of them have, and they rely on each other so much, and... I can't imagine him falling back."

"Obi... Shortly after Ahsoka had her little verbal spout with Nihilus, Nihilus was happy. He looked smug even. I got him to tell me what was on his mind, and he told me he had won. He told me that he would win against us because I showed him how far a father will go for his children."

"But Varus has no-" Obi-Wan stopped. He was practically family, he would know what had happened. He would have listened as Ahsoka cried her eyes out, believing herself to be barren. He would have been there when they mourned the deaths of their unborn children.

How far a father will go for his children.

"Varus has no children to protect." Obi-Wan said, his mouth suddenly dry. He looked at Anakin, suddenly fearful. "But he wouldn't need to protect... but to avenge. If Nihilus takes the blame..."

"Precisely. I hope i am wrong, but if I am right, Nihilus will be back where we started."

The flight back to the Ravager was short. They flew straight towards it at break-neck speed, wheras they had spent most of the day flying in every direction. They landed, and Anakin jumped out. He reached out with his feelings... and snarled.

Nihilus.

"You son of a bitch." Anakin breathed. He approached Nihilus, his fists clenched. Nihilus patiently waited as the man approached. He was under guard once more, seeing as how he had returned.

Didn't stop Anakin from punching him in the face, tackling him, and punching him again. "What did you do! Why did you return!?"

"Anakin! Stop!" Obi-Wan grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. The guards had their guns pointed at him, but were uncertain what to do. They probably hadn't expected a hero with authority to punch the prisoner.

As for Nihilus, he spit blood out of his mouth. Some teeth fell to the ground. "Must you be so uncivilized? This was a fresh body, you know."

"And I aught to rip you a new one!" Anakin barked, barely restrained by Obi-Wan. He snarled. "What did you do to Varus!? Traitor... you don't deserve our protection after what you did to him!"

"I don't know what you mean." Nihilus rose, patted himself down, and looked none the worse for wear. "All I did was say a few words. If you mean why your former padawan has decided to desert his post, disappear, and return to his Sith ways... Well. You are free to ask him next time you see him... though, I suspect it will be at the end of a blade."

Anakin froze, his eyes wide. Nihilus smirked, and stepped closer until he was in Anakin's face.

"That's right, Jedi. I'm under protection, and hunted by your rogue Padawan. Makes him the enemy of Mandalore. Makes him your enemy actually, now that I think about it."

"You..." Anakin shook.

"Knowing my apprentice, the next time you see him it will be in the middle of the night with his blade pointed at your face. I should thank you... none of this would have been possible without you."

Anakin's lips snarled. "Because I showed you how far a father will go for his child?"

"That, and because there is nothing quite as tasty as giving a drowning man a moment of hope... before it is all taken away."

Nihilus turned, and left. He called back, "You people and the conflict you instill in him are exactly what I needed to bring him to his final stage. I was running out of ways to break him. Should have done this years ago! I haven't been this entertained since I was alive!"

Obi-Wan carefully let Anakin go, and Anakin fell to his hands and knees. "Ani-" Anakin punched the metal floor.


End file.
